Today reminded me of everything I don’t want to be.

Those were the words I wrote in my training journal last Friday. I hated having to write that. And, I hate having to admit it here.

Bad weeks happen. We fall down. We get back up. We can’t keep dwelling on what went wrong; rather we must focus on what we’re going to do moving forward to be better. As I tell some of the runners I coach, you can’t beat yourself up for every bad run and not celebrate the good parts about the run or the training week. We have to use the parts of each week that didn’t go as we had hoped to set goals for the week ahead. The same holds true here. I made some good choices, and I made some poor choices. I will channel the negative feelings I experienced after my poor choices to have a great week this week.

Every week I share my weekly training and how I’m taking action against my 2015 goals. I also share the one thing I’m most proud of from the week and the one pitfall that has challenged me the most. Then, I invite you to do the same. There is a place at the bottom of this post for you to share a link to your weekly recap for others to come and cheer you on or offer you support. If you don’t have a Web site, simply share about your week in the comments section.

Here’s what last week looked like:

Getting Sweaty and Stronger

My fitness goals for 2015 are to stay in half marathon shape year-round (20-30 miles of running per week and long runs of 8-11 miles) and get stronger (2-3 strength training and cross training workouts each week).

I only ran twice this past week. I had planned to run on Thursday, but I decided to rest. Then I planned to run on Friday, and, well, ugh! I got back on the ball on Saturday and felt really good. In other news, Mr. rUnladylike joined ClassPass last week, so I’m excited for us to be able to try some new workouts together.

• Monday: 45 minutes at Flywheel (22.4 miles, second place in the class)
• Tuesday: Strength training: 1 hour of arms and abs at Fit: To Be
• Wednesday: AM: Ran 4 miles with 5 x 2 minutes hard at 6:40/mile with 2 minutes easy between each; PM: 1 hour restorative yoga at Wide Angle Yoga

• Thursday: REST
• Friday: I’d rather not talk about Friday. I guess I’ll let my training log speak for itself. Basically I made a bunch of bad choices and excuses and did nothing. Except eat my face off. Ugh.

• Saturday: Ran 10.3 solo miles at 8:19 average pace,with a fast finish between 7:30-7:50 pace. I was supposed to have a running date with Mr. rUnladylike, but he was sick in bed with the flu so I ran alone instead.

• Sunday: AM: 45 minutes at Torq Cycle (17.32 miles and first place overall); PM: 75 minutes restorative yoga at {sacred} sweat yoga

Eating Clean

My nutrition goals for 2015 are to cook most days of the week, limit sugar and bread intake, track my food daily and focus on eating clean(er).

Here were a few Pin-worthy recipes I made last week that I would recommend (you can see all the recipes I’m pinning and making here.):

• Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup: This minestrone soup from Little Spice Jar is perfect for a Monday or busy weekday dinner. You can put it in the crockpot and let it cook all day, plus for a family of 2 to 4, it will make leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. I forgot to put the spinach in at the end, but otherwise I followed the recipe. You may find that you need to add more spices or salt and pepper to taste before serving. This is the perfect warm soup to heat you up through this chilly winter.
• Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash: This delicious dish from Ari’s Menu is definitely a must-make. They sound a little complicated but they are quick and easy to assemble. You cut the squash in half and bake for about 45 minutes. Then you stuff them with an easy meat and cheese mixture, top with mozzarella and pop back in the oven on broil for a few minutes. I served mine with some green beans on the side. They ring in around 550 calories per serving (I didn’t add chicken sausage because I didn’t have any in the house … I just used the turkey), but they are very filling. Two thumbs up.

• Paleo Banana Muffins: These are an oldie but a goodie. I love making these delicious banana muffins that have no sugar, flour or dairy. I folded in some Enjoy Life (paleo friendly) chocolate chips into mine this week. Unfortunately, I ate one too many, but they sure are satisfying. They ring in at about 200 calories per muffin.

What I’m Most Proud of

I’m most proud of one of the runners I coach achieving a 5-minute half marathon PR on Sunday. This comes after a 25-minute PR in the fall for a total of 31 minutes shaved off her total time during the past year. I am so incredibly proud of this runner’s journey and her dedication and discipline. As her coach, I am a small part of that journey. She is the one that has to choose to make the right decisions and be dedicated to her goals, plan and nutrition. She has learned that if you are willing to put in the work, you can do things you once thought were impossible. I cannot stop smiling about her victory!

Where I Struggled

I really struggled Thursday and Friday with everything. I was lacking motivation to get out and move, and I made some really bad food choices that were bordering on total binge behavior. I was really beating myself up about it, but I realized that all I can do is move ahead and make good decisions this week. So I’m back on track and those bad days are behind me.

Thought for the Week Ahead

“The distance between dreams and reality is called discipline.”
~Unknown

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