Posted on February 16, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

What a gorgeous morning it was today, yes still a little crisp and fresh but the sky was blue and the sun was out…..and it wasn’t raining! Yippee!

After having a little lie in this morning I set off for a 5 mile tempo run around Moortown and Roundhay. Like most people, I don’t look forward to tempo runs – they are HARD! But boy, do I feel great afterwards. Tempo runs make your lungs feel like they are on fire, and I’m not sure about you but it’s a constant battle for me not to slow down or stop, but that’s how it should be. During a tempo run you should be pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, without this the benefits  from tempo running (increased lactate threshold and therefore the speed you can run at without fatiguing) will not be achieved. If someone ran beside me during a tempo run I’d be able to exchange a few pleasantries and then if they continued talking to me I would (politely!) need to ask them to stop as I need to conserve my precious energy and oxygen for running not talking!

The best thing about tempo running, and any exercise for that matter, is the feeling after! The feeling of achievement, the feeling of knowing that you have given your all, the feeling that I have pushed myself. I love it!

After my tempo run I had a post workout breakfast of scrambled eggs and kale. Eggs are one of my favourite post workout meals, and as for kale…..I could eat it everyday!

The rest of my day was spent with a short trip into Leeds City Centre for some new running and gym gear in addition to some ‘normal’ clothes for my up and coming trip to Paris this weekend.

This afternoon has been spent with my husband making a healthy Sunday dinner for my family. I love cooking and my parents are here visiting from abroad so I thought I’d make a nice meal for us all. They had roast beef made in the slow cooker. I’m a vegetarian but surprisingly I don’t mind cooking meat and I also don’t mind people eating meat…..everyone had their own choice and I respect their decision to eat meat, likewise I hope they respect my decision not to. We had this with braised red cabbage (my favourite!), roasted parsnips, baby new potatoes with rosemary and my new favourite Jamie Oliver recipe Baked Cauliflower with Tomato and Olive Sauce. This recipe uses anchovies but as a vegi I leave these out and it is still tasty! Sunday dinners can be really healthy…..and the baked cauliflower dish is a great way of still using this vegetable without having to resort to cauliflower cheese!

The meal seemed to go down well and now everyone is sat watching the football on TV. Perfect time for me to plan my training and food for next week. I know it’s not very rock and roll but it keeps me focused on my goals and means I’m prepared with my food for the week. I recommend that all of my clients do this on a weekend if they are serious about achieving their goals.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday x