Day 122: Days are gliding by

We can’t actually believe how fast are the days passing by. I guess time flies when you are having a great time. Today we were going to go swimming in the early morning but we were a little bit extra tired and we decided to go at night. Unfortunately, Calii couldn’t make it because she got stuck at work, so I had to go alone for just around 30 minutes.
The water was at an amazing temperature of 80 degrees F. This reminds me of the unfortunate times when we had to go swim to the previous pool at 60 degrees F or lower. All this is part of what makes us think that time is flying. That was more than two months ago. We still have more than 200 days to go, which makes me feel more comfortable and confident about my future performance. Whatever we are struggling with right now, will be corrected in the next 200 days to assure the best possible race day.

“Confidence is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Hellen Keller

Day 117: Daily Dosage of Dark Chocolate

Who would have thought that a daily dosage of dark chocolate would be recommended for a healthy training diet? Active.com gives us some great articles about what foods you should include in your shopping list as a regular athlete. There is a wide variety of nutrients and foods that are subscribed such as: almonds, mixed greens, mixed berries, salmon, and let’s not forget dark chocolate. Each food item helps in some way to balance your body and the work outs that it endures. Dark chocolate, for example, can strengthen your heart and prevent blood clots. To find out more about these helpful tips go this article. Have a healthy time out there!

“The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will
soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it
has in Spain.” – Thomas Jefferson

Day 82: Do it yourself nutrition!

Break day was great and we both got a lot of extra sleep. Jose came home yesterday with a box of cereal and some honey. It’s time for us to make our own nutritional snacks. What better way to start than with granola? I used to make this stuff when I was much younger, and I remember that having an oven is a must. Since Jose and I don’t have an oven we will have to borrow one instead. All I remember of making granola was honey and oats. Here is another simple granola recipe that i found online. I hope it inspires you to have some fun in the kitchen for your health! Happy fun time everyone!

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” – La Rochefoucauld

Day 81: This crazy weather

Calli- Another run today that wasn’t much different from all the others. It was a Zone 2-4-2 and it went nicely; no injuries. As usual I ate half a banana this morning, but this time it was after the work out. More than anything I am looking forward to the day off tomorrow. We have worked pretty hard this week, and it has taken extra energy to add some strength training to our regular workouts. Have fun out there everyone and this is still the new year so spread the love and happy feelings! 

Jose- This morning was challenging because of the cold weather. I guess the weather is going crazy everywhere and Costa Rica is not the exception. But we managed to get up and go to the gym a little bit later than we expected. The run was easy today. My calves are very tight though, I’m guessing that’s due to a poor stretching time. It felt good to maintain zone 4 for 4 minutes without reducing the speed. I was running at 9.5 mi/hr (around 15.3 km/hr). I know that for now I cannot hold that pace for longer than those 4 minutes, but I’m sure I will be able to do it in a few weeks from now. I HAVE TO! So I’m working hard for it.

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Liane Cardes

Day 79: You’re an Apple

Calli-  Ahhhh it feels so nice to be back in a regular routine. It is also a little bit boring not having the scenery of Punta Leona. However, I am sure that’s a regular thing when training. I have been having trouble sleeping lately. I keep tossing and turning because my limbs feel like they are constantly moving and to rest them is a challenge. I know this is because I am not recovering my muscles enough during the day by drinking water. Drinking water is the first most important nutrition fact when it comes to a healthy body. The picture today is in lieu of our morning habits after a work out. Usually we have some coffee, some crackers, and some fruit. We eat most of our carbs during the day and for dinner we stick to protein and veggies. Happy fun time everyone!

Jose- First running day of our new program. It was 30 minutes in either zone 2 or zone 3. We actually woke up a little bit late so we had to include our warm up in the 30 minute workout. That still gave us around 25 minutes of good running. Most of the time I was in zone 2 with a speed of 7 miles/hour (around 11.3 km/hr). That is actually great since last year for that same speed I would be already in zone 3. For the last 5 minutes I went up to 8.5 miles/hour (around 13.7 km/hr). My heart rate went up a lot more but I still felt comfortable running at that pace. My goal for this program is to be able to run at a speed of 15 km/hr (around 9.3 miles/hr) without going too high on my heart rate. We will see how my progress goes.

“Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage.” – George Patton