Together We Can Fly: Week-in-Review Link-up

January 20, 2015

“If you hang out with chickens, you’re going to cluck, and if you hang out with eagles, you’re going to fly.”

These are the wise words of Dr. Steve Maraboli, bestselling author and behavioral science academic. His wisdom has gotten me thinking a lot about the power of accountability. When we surround ourselves with an uplifting community and a supportive person (or people) who will help us reach our goals, together, we all can fly. I don’t know about you, but I want to be an eagle and I want us to all fly together.

Earlier this week, I was reading an article about accountability that said change happens in dedicated communities where people come together to support and keep each other accountable to reach their goals. Things aren’t always easy on our own, but when we work together to celebrate small victories and overcome everyday challenges, we make progress toward being our best selves.

In other words, I’m here to be your accountabilibuddy – your unladylike buddy who will help keep you accountable for dreaming big, creating a plan, taking actions everyday and believing in yourself … and seeing your goals through to the finish line. No matter whether you’re just starting out on your fitness journey or are a seasoned endurance athlete, we all need an accountabilibuddy. As I’ve taken on some new goals for 2015, I’ve realized that my mom and my training partners have been invaluable buddies on my journey to be my best self. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.

Every week, I am going to start posting a week-in-review link-up. Here’s what you can expect:

  • I will share with you my weekly training recap so you can see how I’m taking action and making progress against my 2015 goals of staying in half marathon shape, getting stronger, eating clean and helping others. I will share one thing I’m most proud of from the week and the one pitfall that challenged me the most (and what I plan to do about it).
  • At the end of every week-in-review post, there will be a place for you to share a link to your post that includes your week-in-review for others to come and cheer you on or offer you help. I encourage you to celebrate the one victory you’re most proud of and admit to the one challenge that you are going to work on the following week.

We are a community and we’re in this together. Big changes don’t happen overnight, but a series of small changes and consistent behaviors over time lead to big breakthroughs.

Without further ado, here is the first installment of my week-in-review link-up

Getting Sweaty and Stronger

My fitness goals for 2015 center around consistently staying in half marathon shape year-round (20-30 miles of running per week and long runs of 8-11 miles) and getting stronger (2-3 strength training and cross training workouts each week). Here’s what last week’s training looked like:

Week-in-review link-up on runladylike.com
Tracking my workouts in my Believe I Am journal
  • Monday: Ran 3 easy progression miles in the morning followed by a 30-minute Jillian Michaels strength training session; ended the day with 75 minutes of restorative, deep stretch yoga
  • Tuesday: 30-minutes of Jillian Michaels strength training followed by a 60-minute sports massage
  • Wednesday: Ran 5.14 easy miles along the snowy Chicago lakefront
  • Thursday: Ran 3.35 easy miles on my hotel treadmill while traveling
  • Friday: 45 minutes of FlyBarre
  • Saturday: Ran 10.03 easy miles with friends (8:44 average pace)
  • Sunday: 45 minutes of competitive cycling at Torq Cycle (18.12 miles and a power number of 394, good for first female in the class) + 7 easy miles riding with Mr. rUnladylike around town later that afternoon
Week-in-Review Link-Up on runladylike.com

Eating Clean

I have been using MyFitnessPal to track my food intake everyday with my mom and I love being in control of my choices and portion sizes. This was an area that I really struggled with during November and December, and it feels so good to be back on track. I’m also going 20 days strong with no bread or sugar and feeling amazing. Here are a few recipes I made this past week that were winners:

  • Braised Beef Ragu from Pinch of Yum: I loved this easy-to-make crockpot dish. I followed the recipe for the beef, which was delicious, but instead of making the polenta I served it over zoodles (zuchinni noodles made with my Vegetti) and topped it with a little romano cheese. So good and makes tons of leftovers! The beauty of serving it over zoodles is that your protein and vegetable combine to make it nearly a one-pot dish.
week in review link-up on runladylike.com
Zoodles!
Braised Beef Ragu on runladylike.com

What I’m Most Proud of

Last week, I was most proud of not falling off track while traveling for 3 days for work. I made good food choices and woke up before 6 a.m. both days to exercise before a crazy day of meetings.

Where I Struggled

Social situations can sometimes unravel me on the food front. We went to a friend’s house for dinner Sunday night and I ate WAY too many snacks and appetizers before dinner. I knew I was overeating but I kept eating (and eating). I need to try to exert more will power and self-control in social settings. It is fine to splurge, but there is a line between splurging and overdoing it. I was in the overdoing it category on Sunday. The great thing is that every day is a new chance to get on track, and all the days other than Sunday were great.

Thought for the Week Ahead

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream. Not only plan but also believe.”

~Anatole France

I want to hear from you! How was your week last week? How was your training? What healthy recipes or snacks did you enjoy? What are you most proud of? Where were you most challenged? Share your comments and/or link up to your weekly recap post below.

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Comments

Jenn

Love the idea of a link up!

We have some similar goals (staying in half marathon shape, for one), so it will be neat to see how it goes this year.

rUnladylike

I look forward to following your training Jenn! Hope you will link up each week! xoxo

Rebecca@Running.Food.Baby.

Love this idea! Definitely being challenged by winter! I need to get outside and not be scared of ice and cold…

rUnladylike

Thanks for linking up your weekly update! I know you will find your groove in getting back to consistency despite the weather. You’ve got this!!! xo

Alyssa

Hi! I’m a long time reader but first time commenter. I love this idea as well! I definitely struggle with a few of the same things (hello, nutrition) so this would be fun and helpful 🙂

rUnladylike

Hi Alyssa! Thank you SO much for reading. It’s great to meet you virtually! I’m glad you are excited about the weekly link-up. I look forward to hearing about your journey and training. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to support you. You own 2015! xoxo

Mike Podracky

Jesica, thanks for all the great advice, encouragement and general information that you share. It seems like I pick up something useful with every post or blog you write. Your writing stays fresh and witty, which is not easy, given the frequency of your posts. It’s easy to see through your writing why you have been so successful attaining your running goals, and I am sure your career and other personal goals too. I can’t remember how I found Runladylike, but I am sure glad I did. Thanks again !

rUnladylike

Mike, Wow! Thank you SO much for your incredibly kind words. Im
Blushing over here and you for sure just made my day and possibly my week 🙂 I am so so glad you find the blog helpful and I’m grateful to have you as a reader. I always enjoy reading your comments and thoughts. Thank you for being part of our awesome community! Here’s to a great year all around.

Angie @ A Mother's Pace

That’s great that you were able to stay on track while traveling. I usually don’t have a problem staying motivated to run while away (because I love running in new places so much) but it’s the eating that gets me every time.

I started using My Fitness Pal again to track food and try and get back on track after the holidays. It’s helped me a lot to make better choices.

Thanks for the link-up…it looks like it will be a fun one!

rUnladylike

Thanks so much for linking up Angie! I love MyFitnessPal and find it to be so helpful! Looking forward to following your training and being an accountabilibuddy 🙂

emma @ be mom strong

Great link up… How is FlyBarre?? Been wanting to try next time I’m in a town!

rUnladylike

Thank you for stopping by Emma! It was my first time at FlyBarre and I really really liked it. I’m also a huge fan of Barre3. FlyBarre is a great compliment to FlyWheel as well. Let me know what you think if you try it!!! xo

Angie

Hi Jesica! I love the link-up idea! Last week was challenging for me fitness wise as two of my kids were home sick on three days (and not at the same time, OF COURSE), and then I came down with their stomach bug on Thursday night, the NIGHT BEFORE MY GIRLS WEEKEND TRIP TO MIAMI FLORIDA! I live in the cold east coast, so I was so bummed to cancel my girls trip. Luckily, I got in three runs, one strength training, and one core session before everyone got sick, but then the last 3 days of the week were a bust. So that was my challenge last week. As for healthy eating, I think I lost 2 pounds in the two days I was sick, does that count (ha ha)? My goal this week is to resume my running and keep some calf pain at bay that I had been experiencing. I switched shoes so hopefully that works. Thanks, as always, for the great post!

rUnladylike

Hi Angie,
Thanks for sharing what is going on in your world. I’m SO sorry to hear about everyone getting sick. I suppose the only silver lining is that sometimes our body needs rest and a break, and taking some time off to get well was a good thing. You didn’t lose any fitness by taking a few days off, so don’t stress about it. It sounds like you have a great week ahead. Take care of that calf! Looking forward to having you link up!

Angie

I forgot to add my question, what Jillian Michaels video are you using? I LOVE her and would like to find a good one for upper body. Also, are you using the Believe training journal from Lauren Fleshman? I recognized, it. I just started using it as well, I love the inspirational quotes and all of the tips!

rUnladylike

Hi Angie,
The Jillian Michaels workouts I’m doing are from her 90 day challenge. It is actually called an extreme weight loss challenge but I am NOT looking for extreme weight loss. I just find the strength training workouts to be really good and quick (all 30 minutes). I think there are like 12 or 15 DVDs total. So far I’ve done the first two from month #1 twice and I enjoy them. A great compliment to running. Let me know if you try them out.

And yes, my journal is the Believe I Am journal from Lauren. I absolutely love it. xo

Nicole

Love this idea! It’s easy to lose track of our goals if we aren’t checking in regularly (especially when you have as many goals as you do!). Looking forward to following along!

Laura @ This Runner's Recipes

Love this idea! I find reading other runner’s recaps to be so motivating, both in what they do but seeing that other people face the same challenges as I do. It adds perspective and keeps us all from being too hard on ourselves! That’s great about how you were able to stay on track in Chicago, especially because Chicago has so many tempting indulgent foods.

rUnladylike

Thank you Laura! I totally agree. And no deep dish pizza or Garrett’s popcorn in Chicago. It must be a miracle. LOL!

Lanie

Hi, Jesica! I found your blog recently while searching for half ironman training plans. I´ve been reading through your training reports and recent blogs, and have found myself so inspired by both your accomplishments and your writing. Thanks! I´m just starting to train for a 70.3 in June, and so this recap idea comes at a perfect time. I look forward to reading more of your writing in the future!

rUnladylike

Hi Lanie! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading. Your words mean so much to me and I’m excited for your half Ironman journey!!! I hope you’ll link up each week and keep me posted on your progress. Good luck with your training! xo

Tim

This is a great idea for a blog! It is always easier when others share and are working towards similar goal. You hit it out of the ballpark (as always)

rUnladylike

Thank you so much for your kind words, Tim. I hope you are having an excellent week. Hope to see you link up with us throughout the year. xo

Lisa @ RunWiki

That’s a great idea to share your week and cheer each other on. Unfortunately, my week has been full of taking care of very sick little people. The flu is sweeping through our house! My poor babies- one of my children has epilepsy, so that doesn’t mix well with fevers and my little tiny 41 lb girl gets sicker than a- well you know what I’m saying. I am dying to get out of the house. dying. please. someone. let . me. run.

rUnladylike

Lisa, I’m so sorry to hear your family has been sick. I know that has made a really tough week. I’ll be thinking about you and your kids and hoping you can get out to run soon. xoxo

Sarah @RunFarGirl

That braised beef looks amazing! I’ve been trying to get back on track with eating since I was giving into every pregnancy craving over the holiday season (and kind of using it as an excuse to overdo it). And most weeks have been good, but I don’t want to get too restrictive cause that’s when I run into issues. So it’s been hard to find a good balance. I love the idea of this link up…although I haven’t really been doing too many training update reports lately.

rUnladylike

Hi Sarah. The beef is awesome. The first night we ate it over zoodles and then the second night over brown rice with some avocado and shredded sharp white cheddar. It made so much leftovers which was great for lunch and a second dinner. You could also easily add other chopped veggies to it like zucchini and bell pepper. Let me know what you think if you try it. I’ve pinned a lot of good, healthy recipes lately on my recipe board (pinterest.com/JesicaD) and I’ve really enjoyed making them. I will share each week what I like that I try or come up with on my own. I’ve also been finding some really satisfying snacks and treats without sugar (although higher cals) so I don’t feel deprived. I’m right there with you … if I do anything too restrictive I can fall of the wagon at some point. xoxo

elizabeth

love it! i always do a week in review so this is great. i’ve tried several new recipes from my FODMAP cookbook and they have all been REALLY good. i’ve been surprised. i will have to share a few with you. and, i would’ve had polenta with a side of zucchini 🙂 LOVE polenta.

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[…] a little late with my post, so I’m changing it up a little and following rUnladylike’s lead.. She’s doing an accountability link up. Since I’ve been following a similar format for […]