Half Inspired | Week 2

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Welcome to HALF INSPIRED! Do you like our new series banner (and the name)?! 

The idea for the new is pretty simple - I was inspired to run a half :) Pretty straightforward, right? 

I just completed week TWO of training. It went pretty well and I definitely pushed myself. Here was the schedule for this week (a mix of a couple different schedules):

M: 2 miles & 20 min. strength (I did abs)
T: 30 min. strength & legs/booty workout
W: 30 min. cross training (I did the stairmill)

TH: 2 miles & kettlebell workout

F: Abs & Arms toning

SAT: 4 miles with #RunCR

SUN: Rest

I am combining my running with the toning workouts from TIU's Love Your Body series. This week's workouts can be found HERE if you want to join! 

Let me tell ya. Those four miles on Saturday were ROUGH. Here is a look at my Polar HR watch after Saturday's run. I highly recommend getting a HR watch like this so you can monitor you HR and keep track of the calories you are burning!

As you can see, I'm a slow runner. My calves cramp up a lot and during the first 2 miles I had to stop and stretch them pretty frequently (I think I need to start foam rolling more often...). But luckily I was running with a training group, RunCR, and I stumbled upon a group of people running my pace towards the 3 mile marker. They were awesome and I wanted to keep talking to them, so I pushed myself to keep running. 

And I felt great afterwards. 

So this week, I encourage you new runners out there to RUN WITH COMMUNITY. It's more fun & you can encourage each other to keep going!

That quote is SO true! When you help someone else, you are also helping yourself. So get out there, find a fitness community & start encouraging!

This week, I also want to introduce you to one of our sponsors: Cocozia. 

Cocozia reached out to me to review their chocolate coconut water, since I had previously reviewed their original flavor (click here to read the post!). I tried the chocolate Cocozia & loved it so much, that Cocozia agreed to be a sponsor for the series! 

Coconut water is a GREAT drink for workout recovery (an alternative to Gatorade, etc). Mostly because it has potassium. A LOT of potassium. 470mg, to be exact, which is more than a banana & 15 times more than you will find in your typical sports drink. Potassium helps ease muscle pain after a workout and helps maintain fluid balance in your body.

Coconut water is also naturally low in calories, has more sodium than most sports drinks and is filled with electrolytes. Chocolate Cocozia is no different. I love that this flavor is less like chocolate milk and more like chocolate flavored coconut water. Zico, another popular coconut water company, has a chocolate variety as well - and it's good, but its heavy and more like a treat. Which is why I prefer Cocozia :)

I encourage you to replenish your body after a run by drinking some coconut water! You can mix it in a smoothie, shake it up with protein powder, or drink it chilled, by itself. It's good & healthy no matter how you drink it!

Next week, I'm sharing some of my favorite health & fitness companies. Looking forward to it! See you next week!