Heart Rate Training – August Recap

Posted on September 4, 2013 by fmadmin

I admit it.  I had a great time not running.   After running the Iron Girl half marathon in Clearwater in April, I decided to take it slow.  With our increasing summer heat and my disdain for treadmills, it was time for a break.  June and July were for the most part “Run Free” months for me. August came around and I started spinning classes again and before I knew it, my running feet were asking for some pavement.  While I enjoyed my time off from running, I’m so excited to have started training again with a heart rate training plan.

fitness

What’s a heart rate training plan?

A heart rate training plan is a plan where you monitor your heart rate to stay in a specific heart rate zone.  I’m not a medical expert, so I visited a few pages on the internet like this and this.  In the past, my training has always been an adaptation of the many online half marathon running plans. This time, my training won’t be that much different.  I plan on running three times a week and if time or energy allows do one more activity (yoga, spinning, weights?) to round out the training. However, I will be paying more attention to my heart rate monitor.

tempo run

My heart rate training will be composed of three runs: a long run at a recovery heart rate (70%), tempo/race pace (80-90%) and an interval/speed (90-100%).  I’ve noticed all my past training runs were done at the interval/speed heart rate.  Not good.  I’m lucky I have not injured myself.  I’ve completed this 1st week of training following my heart rate and it’s been quite interesting.  The hardest thing was running a 13:00 min/mi during my long run.  That was my pace so I can keep my heart rate in the correct zone.  It took everything in me to stay focused and not give up.

heart rate training

Having completed my first week of heart rate training, I’ve found a new love for running.  I’ve also realized I need to push myself a bit more to meet the heart rates for the tempo/race pace.  I’m looking forward to see how this goes in September!

 

Do you exercise with a heart rate monitor? If so, what kind?

Have you ever tried “Heart Rate Training”?

 

 

 

 

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Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens

Posted on August 31, 2013 by fmadmin

While visiting my mom in New Smyrna Beach, we decided to take the girls to the playground nearby.  We waited for a few minutes to let the afternoon sprinkling rain pass, but it wasn’t happening.  So, we started driving north on US-1.  If you are ever looking for a park while driving, look for brown signs.  Just after a few minutes, we saw a sign to the Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens.  They are located off US-1 and Herbert Street in Port Orange.  My mom had not been to it, so we thought to give it a shot.  Little did we know, we were in for a treat!

Dunlawton Sugar Mill Plantation

botanical garden

Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens are open 8 am to sunset every day.  Guided tours are available on Wednesday by appointment only.  The grounds are very interesting to both young and old.  My girls had a great time searching for dinosaurs.  Yep, you read it right.

 sugar mill gardens sugar mill gardens sugar mill gardens

Originally, the grounds belong the Dunlawton family which owned the sugar mill back in 1832.  All that remains is the ruins, but they are still pretty interesting.  I was amazed at the size of the equipment used.

Sugar Mill Gardens

After several attacks by Seminole indians, the sugar mill was never able to fully recover.  The Dunlawtons attempted to create a tourist attraction out of their sugar mill to no avail.  In the 1950’s the land was leased to create Bongoland, equipped with a small train, an indian village replica and large concrete dinosaurs.  While the train and the indian village replica are both gone, the concrete dinosaurs were still there.

Sugar Mill Gardens

The grounds were beautifully kept.  There’s a gazebo and a seating area for a wedding as well as a garden library.  There’s also a human sundial and various trails to go exploring.

Sugar Mill Gardens

 

sugar mill gardens

There is no entry fee, but they do have a donations box available.  This park is truly a gem in the city.  We were so glad to have founded, it was difficult to get my girls to leave.  To read more reviews, check out tripadvisor.

Do you like visiting botanical gardens? Which is your favorite?

Do you ever drive around looking for hidden gems?

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Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Posted on August 28, 2013 by fmadmin

Fish tacos are one of my favorite dishes to order out.  In fact, I regularly order them from Shrimp & Co.  They are just down the street from our market.  It’s a really cute Key West style building next to the Family Dollar.  If you are ever looking for fresh seafood, this is your spot.  But I digress, as much as I enjoy them, I had yet to make them at home.  Gasp.  I know. They are not that difficult to make and they are delicious.  Even my skeptical husband was impressed.  Score.

 homemade fish tacos with pineapple salsa

I improvised on the fish tacos topping.  Normally, they are served with cabbage.  Cabbage is not something we eat a lot of at home, so I substituted with thinly sliced spinach.  And for more flare, I topped it with my homemade pineapple salsa. It truly was delectable.  Here’s what you’ll need:

 

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For a little more flavor/heat, I added Flavors of Florida Key West and Clearwater Beach to my tacos.  While the Clearwater Beach hot sauce is usually my favorite, I thought the Key West hot sauce was better for this dish.  The Key West sauce is a medium spicy jalapeno and key lime hot sauce.  The Clearwater Beach hot sauce is definitively spicier.  It’s made with cayenne peppers and lemon juice.  For the girls, I made “mayo ketchup”, but I used vegennaise instead of mayo.  They loved it!

 hot sauce

 

 

Do you like fish tacos?

Have you tried the Flavors of Florida hot sauce line?

 

 

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