Today was another lie down on the sidewalk day.

I wore my yellow shirt this morning (I think it has magical powers to make me run faster) because I had another 10k time trial on the schedule.  My last one was HERE a little less than 6 weeks ago.  Both time trials were pretty flat courses but I think the first one may have been a little bit hotter but other than that both times had pretty similar conditions.

Someone came over to ask if I was okay when they saw me laying on the sidewalk and I told them all about how doing this is my favorite thing to do after a hard run.

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Last time trial splits:  7:13, 7:12, 7:10, 7:05, 7:00, 6:54 and last .2 @ 6:45 pace.  Average pace= 7:05

Today’s time trial splits:  7:08, 6:58, 6:54, 6:48, 6:42, 6:37 and last .2 @ 6:02 pace.  Average pace= 6:49

And that is one of the main reasons I think we are addicted to running….seeing improvements and getting closer to our goals.  PS the workouts my coach gives me have conditioned me to run negative splits (running the second half of your race or run faster than the first half) which I am loving and pre-coach I don’t think I ever once had negative splits because I thought it was always a great idea to sprint for that first mile;)

Some ways to start getting negative splits from the Positives of Negative Splits:

Screen Shot 2013 06 27 at 7 41 27 AM

It doesn’t always make sense in my brain about why negative splits will = faster race times but I am now a believer and I always feel a million times better at the end of the workout when I do negative split rather than going out way too fast.

This was eaten within 5 minutes of walking in the door.  I really like milk.  Please don’t pay attention to my sad banana.

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After Bfast Brooke and I got to work on a dessert that I am taking to a party tonight.

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And a sneak peak:

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This recipe is from my brother.  He is actually the BEST person ever at making desserts.  Every one that he has ever made for me has made my life even more fulfilling.

My Brother’s Amazing S’mores Bars (a little different than a previous one that I posted):

2  1/4 cups Graham Crackers (1.5 sleeves), crushed
2/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups mini marshmallows   <—————-Seriously, the more the merrier with this one!
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Hershey Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar.  Press into the bottom of a 13×9 in pan.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.

Cream butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar together.  Blend in eggs and vanilla.  Stir in flour, salt and baking soda.  By hand mix in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Spread over the graham cracker crust.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Top with broken pieces of Hershey Bars.  Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove and allow to cool before cutting.  Enjoy!

Did anyone watch Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition this week?  I watched it late last night and I think I cried for 20 minutes straight because it was so touching.  

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Are you a milk drinker?  Have you always been?  What kind and what %?

Negative or positive splits….what do you tend to do more often?

How many brothers do you have?

-3 and I miss them.  And my sister.  And my Mom and Dad.

What was your bfast this morning?

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85 comments

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My breakfast was also two pieces of toast with nut butter and banana… as it is every morning, haha.
I have an older brother and a younger brother. We were all out of the house at one point, but we’re now all at home and my parents love the full house :)

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Um yum!!! Looks delicious. No brothers sadly just two sisters. I’m actually pretty good at negative splitting. It takes me a while to feel good so I tend to start out conservatively.

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Oh my goodness. That dessert looks insane. Get in my belly!

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That looks so yummy!!! I have 3 brothers and I love 1%milk.

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I have a twin brother! And yes, it really is just as cool as you think it is :)

Also thanks for that recipe I’m definitely making that this weekend!

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I always do positive splits, I’ll try the negative one on my next run this weekend. Thanks for the tips. I love milk but it’s hard on my tummy, so if I have it I usually use almond milk.

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I used to drink a ton of milk when I was younger. I would come home from volleyball practice and drink glass after glass of it like it was water. Now I mainly just put it in my coffee.

Unfortunately, I normally have positive splits, particularly in races. I’m just so determined to get out there that I wind up starting too fast.

I have one brother.

Breakfast this morning was a piece of orange/cranberry bread from the Fresh Market.

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I am not a milk drinker, I never enjoyed drinking it and later found out I’m allergic. I am a chocolate almond milk drinker though! I have 1 much younger brother and he is living wiht me for the month so it has been fun to hang out! Negative or positive splits…we’ll see what happens when I finally heal from my hip injury and am running again but hopefully negative :)

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our breakfast was carrot cake waffles, delish! used to love milk but somehow after my baby was born I became lactose intolerant, not cool…
3 brothers and 3 sisters.. yet im lonely… siblings live far away all spread out…

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I had that type of run yesterday, thought of you! So I laid down on our sidewalk and a family going to play tennis walked by asking if I needed medical assistance. They interrupted my rest!

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I love milk. I tend to drink 1-2% but love all of it. I unfortunately also tend to run positive splits. Maybe one day ill get the negatives down!

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I grew up drinking fat free cow’s milk. Now, I drink organic 1% cow’s milk.
I’m just not fast when I first start running, so I have more negative splits by accident because of that.
No brothers for me!
Breakfast was my usual oatmeal with peanut butter…I sometimes look forward to breakfast when I go to bed at night… does anyone else do that?!

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It’s actually always been in my nature to start conservatively and speed up, but it doesn’t always work for negative splits anyway.

I have 3 brothers–all younger.

My breakfast this morning was greek yogurt, berries, granola and almonds.

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I am bookmarking this page so I can try that recipe out this weekend. It looks INCREDIBLE! I know I say that about a lot of your dessert recipes and pics, but chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows? I mean, WHOA!

I’ve always been HORRIBLE at negative splits, but I’m really going to strive for them in my marathon training this fall. In my previous marathons, I always go out too fast, try to bank time, and then watch it all disappear in the last 10K. This time I want to try to run even splits throughout.

Sometimes an ice cold glass of milk really hits the spot. I like to pour my milk into a frosted mug to make it extra chilly.

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Wow that looks good!!! I don’t drink milk unless in involves double stuffed OREO’s. Crap now I want them. No brothers, just one sister. However I have been blessed with a son so that is way cool. I love how much your love your family ; )

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I am a lactard! No milk for me : ) I always have my fastest mile at the end but stay pretty consistent other wise. I have one brother. And yes I watched Extreme Makeover and it was amazinggg!!

COngrats on the run! That is awesome!!

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I was really good at running pretty even splits when I first started running. I have noticed lately that I have been running positive splits in races. It’s no good. It makes me not like racing so I really need to figure it out. I have gotten faster but I don’t have the endurance for the increase in pace yet.

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1 sister

Breakfast- made a bagel with cream cheese and my 2 year old ate it, made a bowl of plain yogurt and honey and my 2 year old ate it, poured my self the last of the green machine juice and my 2 year old drank it. You get the trend… I made myself some quinoa with craisins and almonds, she looked at it and said ” Ear you go Mommy”.

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Hi there..fantastic running by the way..maybe need to get my nike+ watch and look at my split times…I drink semi skimmed milk but could drink more of it really…i have a little brother…seeing him and my little sis this summer..not seen my bruv for a good few months he lives in germany and seeing my sis after 3 long years as she lives in new zealand…very exciting. keep up your good work and must go shopping for that recipe..yum yum :-)

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I am not a fan of milk.
I don’t usually pay attention to my splits unless I’m on the treadmill and I usually have negative splits.
No brothers for me but my sister is my best friend :)
Eggs for breakfast!

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LOVE milk! I always drink a huge glass of it after hard runs!

Awesome job with your negative splits!!! I need to start working on that….I’m also one of those runners that thinks it’s a great idea to go as fast as I can right from the start. I don’t think I’ve ever had a negative split in a race.

I have one brother, and he’s living in Korea right now. I miss him. :(

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Looks like a happy banana to me! I love my bananas a little spotty and brown – sweeter that way. There’s seriously nothing worse than dealing with green bananas. Blah.

Breakfast this morning was oats with Greek yogurt, honey, and almond butter. And I don’t have any brothers OR sisters. I used to love it when I was younger, but now I really wish I had a sibling to confide in!

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Negative splits are where it’s at! Way to go!

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“And that is one of the main reasons I think we are addicted to running….seeing improvements and getting closer to our goals.” — yes and YES!

And those s’mores bars WILL be made in my kitchen as soon as possible. Yum!

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0 brothers 1 sister
For bfast this morning I had a banana (not sad looking – like yours), and orange jello light! (Don’t judge…lol)

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I am pretty good at negative spliting mostly because I am not awake until mile 3.
I love milk, especially after a hot run. Today I had cottage cheese, milk with a little cereal, and craving pizza because of the cheese for dinner…..
Your dessert is telling me you subconsciously want to try that summer blizzard flavor.

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Awesome run girl! You rock at negative splits. I’d say I have negative spits on about half of my runs. The other half are pretty steadily paced. I think I’m pretty good at maintaining a consistent pace, which is actually pretty boring.
What is your marathon time goal? Do you mind sharing?
I have 2 bros. No sisters but always wanted one!
Breakfast was egg whites with avocado, black coffee and a kind bar.
I can take or leave milk but I’m doing this “no dairy” thing right now so I’m not drinking it.
S’mores bars look amazing!

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It was such a good episode!!!!!!! I now follow Donald Driver on FB… seriously the bike ride was so moving!!!

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I don’t like milk. I also can’t digest it (lactose intolerant) so I guess that makes a difference. I use unsweetened almond milk though when I need it. I prefer OJ though.

Negative or positive splits….what do you tend to do more often? Positive splits, for sure! I live in a really hilly area, so it’s hard to accurately do negative splits. I plan on doing a negative split workout next weekend when I visit my parents. They have a track around the lake in their neighborhood that is gorgeous and relatively flat :)

I have one brother and one sister. I miss them both too, but I’ll see them all next week for July 4th!

And my breakfast is probably boring to most people. It’s the same thing I have every morning and for most lunches- spinach smoothie with half a banana, mixed frozen fruits, peanut butter and almond milk. I love it though! So refreshing! And it keeps me mostly full until lunch.

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As most days, strawberry yoghurt with Müsli. I have a serious addiction to this food.

I have three brothers, too!

I am slow, but I like to do negative splits. The last run, I started off (after 2 weeks injury rest) at 10.13 and ended at 9.12.
Often, I end up doing positive splits for the last 1-2 miles though :)

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I’ve never liked milk. Now I do unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but rarely drink it on its own.

I think I’ve had a positive split like twice ever. The first two miles of almost every run sucks and is usually pretty terrible, but by mile 3 I’m in my groove and begin to speed things up. I naturally negative split my runs.

1 brother

Scrambled eggs with avocado + a blueberry greek yogurt smoothie

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oh wow. that dessert. I hope you undercooked it so it’s allll ooey gooey. nice workout! you are going to rock your 10k next week.

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extreme weight loss this week was my most favorite ever!!! this kid had such a cool attitude, I loved him

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I absolutely love desserts you can make in a pan! Like bars! I don’t have enough patients to make individual cookies. Look super yummy!

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I always try to aim for negative splits, but inevitably at the beginning of the race (if I’m shooting for a time goal), I think, crap, is this too slow? Will I ruin my overall time at this pace? Should I speed up?

I think I really need to try that “practice during 5ks” thing– during my last 5k (I’ve only ever run 3), I was so determined to improve my time that I shot out of there so fast that there were only four girls ahead of me (and I’m usually slow!). But after that first kilometer of “Oh wow I’m going to be at the front of the pack for the first time in my life!”, I wanted to die. I couldn’t breathe and I hated everything! (Needless to say, I didn’t finish fifth after all, and definitely did every kilometer progressively slower than the last.)

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I kind of really hate milk, unless cereal is involved! I remember as a kid having to fight my parents at dinner every night because I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the table until I finished my cup of milk. Apparently it traumatized me, because I still can’t do it!

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This was a good post. Thanks! I did a 5k last weekend and totally started off too fast. I finally bought a garmin though, so maybe now I can actually pace myself better.

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Wow! Impressive improvement! Nice job! What specific workouts helped with running negative splits? I continually struggle….

The dessert looks yummy!

Thanks :)

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Hey!!! Basically he tells me the time that he wants me to run each mile and each workout starts out way slower than it ends so now it just feels normal to always end fast!

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First off- totally thought of you when I saw THIS-
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=25073578&parentid=W_APP_SWIMWEAR

No milk.. I don’t like creamy things- yogurt, whipped cream, cheese—ehhhh no thanks.
Definitely positive splits- I guess I’ll have to look more into negative splits- I’ve never put much thought into it– I just always run.
And no brothers, just one fantastic sister.

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Ahhhhhh I need that! Thank you!

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I’m a chocolate milk drinker, does that count?

Love your yellow tank, I want one! Great job on the improvement and negative splits… and freaking out people. :p

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I started doing negative splits last year just before my half marathon PR. Unless it’s a hilly course I pretty much stick to that. I can’t seem to convince my friend that you run faster in the end AND feel better if you pace yourself out at the beginning. Oh well. I love it and I’m glad you love them.
If I saw you on the sidewalk I would be concerned also. It’s very rare that I see people willingly laying on concrete.
I have 4 brothers. One of my brothers just ran his first 50K ultra and came in 4th just behind 3 guys that were 10 years younger and lots more experienced then him. He’s a rockstar!
I had eggs and beef! DELISH!

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LOVE milk– husband and I go through a gallon and a half a week typically (it’s just the two of us!). 1% milk for normal use (cereal, cooking etc.) and chocolate milk for post run amazingness! There is nothing better than a small glass of freezing cold milk after a hot run (it sounds awful, but it is literally the only thing that gets me home some days!)

I’m an only child (adopted too– bring on the spoiled comments hah), but I have a lot of “sisters” that are in a dance troupe I’ve been in for 11 years. They are chosen family and I miss them too!

Breakfast? Coffee, greek yogurt (the new chobani flip things– delicious!), toast, and a necatarine (and of course, milk!).

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I love milk. Always drank 1% but now we drink almond original unsweetened milk. I’m getting used to it. I always try for negative splits. That dessert looks delicious! I have one brother; he’s my only sibling. Love him! Breakfast is usually a small yogurt and a ww english muffin with pb.

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I drink skim milk occasionally.

I mix it up between negative and positive splits as I do a lot of fartlek’s.

I have one older brother.

I was so bad, I skipped breakfast this morning and just had coffee.

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I love extreme makeover! It was a really good episode.

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I love that show! I love Chris Powell!
-Skim milk, I’m really great at positive splits, and I have no brothers, but have 2 older sisters!

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I usually do negative splits on my normal runs and I never race (I am not a fan of pressure and competition) but when it is just me and my watch, negative splits just feel normal/right. And that is encouraging to see improvement since 6 weeks ago :)

I have 1 sister and 3 brothers and it is awesome!

Lactose intolerant so I usually stick to almond milk.

I usually have oatmeal for breakfast–quick and easy and no fuss. Walnuts are a MUST with my oatmeal, otherwise I am hungry 2 hours later. Or 20 minutes later more like it :)

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Chunky monkey oats and a jumbo size cup of joe :) it really doesn’t get any better!

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I was at the taping of the Extreme Weightloss final weigh in! They even did a close-up of me and my husband, and I got my picture taken with Chris Powell 9his muscles are amazing!).

I’ve nailed the positive splits! Those elusive negative splits, definitely something for me to work on!!

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Oh my goodness! That is the coolest thing ever!

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I totally copied that recipe down. Must make it soon! Love smores desserts.

Milk – 1% from a local dairy if I drink it, which isn’t often.
Splits – usually posititive, unless I’m on a treadmill, then I try to negative split them
Brothers – NADA, just two sisters who are both older
Breakfast – Coffee first, then this morning I actually had a mango smoothie and leftover pizza about 10:00am.

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I grew up drinking 2% cows milk, and have recently discovered it is the source of my breakouts and tummy issues! Vanilla almond milk is my go to now :)
Ps: I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, but have never commented ! :p
I’m kind of obsessed with your blog and I’m 100% sure Brooke is the most adorable child I’ve ever seen! :)

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I can’t stand milk…but I have actually gotten to where I drink and like chocolate milk after most workouts….it is 1%.
99.9% positive splits…really want to change it but we’ll see.
breakfast was a vanilla almond luna bar…yum!

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Haha you’re title cracked me up! That’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do the last couple of days.

-Almond milk
-I don’t actually notice my splits but prob should
-3 older brothers
-Breakfast was oatmeal, TJ’s almond butter, and strawberries (my office was blasting the AC so I needed something warm!)

Oh and thanks for sharing that yummy recipe :)

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Yeah, that episode was really emotional. I love that the football player came and supported him … that was pretty awesome! :)

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I seriously love all of your posts. You are so positive and funny! Can we please live in the same town and be BFFs, run together every day, eat food together everyday and our kids be little friends?

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Yes and yes!!!!

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I always drank chocolate milk growing up! Until I stopped drinking cows milk and switched to almond milk in high school. I just got back on the chocolate milk train a few weeks ago.. chocolate instant breakfast is soooo good :)

I naturally did negative splits from the start! The first 1-2 miles is always my hardest so it makes sense for me to do them slower as a warm up

I have one older brother :)

Toast with jelly and cooked honey cinnamon bananaa ;)

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ok I have serious food issues and I could never eat your banana with the black spots

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I’m loving reading your amazing progress after your injury. Seriously, you are rocking it!! I love extreme makeover, so inspiring:)

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Cow’s milk grosses me out. Can’t do it. I drink vanilla coconut milk and dark chocolate almond milk.

I have four brothers. I am their favorite sister. I am also their only sister. ;-)

Breakfast today was a veggie scramble. My usual. I may be addicted.

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That is a BRILLIANT looking dessert. Yum! Thank you to your brother for sharing that with us!! :)

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I am generally a positive splitter – especially in races because I tend to want to go fast for the first bit (especially in a 5K race scenario).

However, I am trying to reverse that and move to negative splits, (especially since I am chasing the sub-25 5K club) – and so far, as you said, it has been working. For the last few runs, I have been negative splitting! YAY!

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I only drank whole milk and water until I was about 15 years old. True story. No juice. No soda. Just whole milk. And water.

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I’m not sure milk and I are having a good relationship right now so I’m bouncing between Soy, Almond and Coconut milk. At least it shakes things up a little. Breakfast was the same as always: english muffin, tbsp peanut butter and a few dark chocolate chips.

I’m always at negative splits though now that I’ve been running consistently for over a year I’m adding in real tempo and interval runs so I think that’s going to change! Okay, I hope it will :-) I have started to push myself at the end of a run, imagining the finish line is ahead and I need to be there asap. It’s working!

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Love milk! But I always stick with skim.

I’m actually pretty decent at negative splits, I just know I’ll burn out too quickly if I start out going too fast.

I have one brother and he is the absolute greatest!

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I’m loving running negative splits these days! I never used to do it but the past month or so I’ve been trying to do it often.

I have one brother who is two years older… he’s my only sibling and we get along so well!

And I had cereal and milk with some berries for breakfast… I love milk! I usually drink skim or 1% but I don’t just have a glass of milk very often – usually just with cereal.

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Everything looks great. Great run, great reasons for negative splits and great dessert. Sooo yummy. I love S’mores…only camping of course. You’re really rocking this training and giving me so much motivation to stay dedicated during my runs. Thanks you!

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I loved milk as a kid, but only drank it as an adult on cereal. We recently switched to almond milk after reading some not so great things about drinking milk as an adult.

I had cheerios for breakfast this morning.

I have one younger brother.

I can usually run a fairly consistent pace during training, but I have slight positive splits in races.

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Yum… my husband would LOVE that dessert. I need to make this ASAP.

I’m not big on drinking milk by itself but we always have skim in the house for cereal and to use in our smoothies. That was my breakfast this morning – protein powder smoothie with frozen strawberries and bananas, greek yogurt, skim milk and chia seeds!

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I am not a milk drinker and have never really liked milk.

At this point (week 6 of C25K), I’m just trying not to die during a run, so I’ll get to the positive or negative split thing later.

I have no brothers and one sister.

For breakfast every day during the work week, I have green tea, a whole wheat English Muffin with the most absolute bestest peanut butter ever – Vermont Peanut Butter’s “Green Mountain Goodness.” Seriously, if I didn’t portion it out with a tablespoon, I would eat the entire jar. It is a blend of almond and peanut butter with flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. They also add whey protein so a serving has 10 grams of protein. I love this stuff so much.

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I watched Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition last night..I laughed, I cried, and I think he needs a girlfriend named Kelsey. He was SO positive and determined throughout the entire process. I was an emotional, sad sap mess. I just love Donald Driver and am a huge Packer fan too..It was so touching and by far my favorite episode!

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I believe I need to make the s’more bars this weekend! They look so good!

I love milk too! If I am drinking milk straight out of a glass, I go with skim or 1% regular milk. I use almond milk for other things like overnight oats. http://running4two.com/2013/04/04/back-to-healthy-eating-and-overnight-cold-oatmeal/

I have one brother who lives in Florida and I miss him. It’s tough living away from family!

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I have two older brothers who morphed me into the tom boy I am today at heart.

I have drank skim milk since I was a baby, so it’s the only milk I can drink now. Any other milk tastes wayyy too thick for me!

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I actually went to school at UW-Green Bay, so watching that episode was sort of surreal for me. Having been at Lambeau Field so many times and living in that city for 4 years, it was an awesome episode! Plus, I flew into Milwaukee Monday night (was in NYC) and Donald Driver was at the airport too! He was coming here for Summerfest, our huge music festival. Pretty cool!

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I am an almond milk drinker since my youngest is lactose intolerant and I think too much soy is terrible for your body. I normally do positive splits but I see the power in the negative :) I have 2 brothers. One I haven’t seen in several years, it’s quite sad actually. I should clarify that ti’s not a choice, he’s made some really bad life altering choices… Anyway, I had cinnamon Life and almond milk for breakfast because I had jury duty so I was in a big hurry :)

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Yes!! I watched Extreme Makeover and I bawled like 20 times too!! That show is so inspirational and I can hardly contain myself every time I watch! So good!

What an amazing run girl..you are so inspiring! Psh, I ran a 7 min mile this morning on the treadmill and it was extremely hard …I am just so impressed by your hard work and tenacity!

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Extreme Makeover is my favorite show! I think I cry every single episode. But this week’s was extra emotional! It’s just so inspiring. And the Powell family is so awesome!! I saw Heidi at a local boutique here in Gilbert and I wanted to say hi so badly but I chickened out! Ha!

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I go through spurts with milk but now that I’ve finally tried almond milk I’m in love!! I usually run negative splits. It just comes natural to me. The first mile is my hardest! I have one younger brother.

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It’s good to know that someone was concerned and checked on you after your run! At least they didn’t come over and draw a chalk outline around you! :-)

To answer your questions: cereal for breakfast, one brother, and I love running negative splits! I grew up on a dairy farm and I can’t stand to drink milk unless it is chocolate! I use 1% on my cereal!

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What a great run! I need to learn how to pace myself.

The only milk I like to drink is the stuff left at the end of my cereal. I have a brother 11 months younger than me. He lives in New Zealand now :-(

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I’m glad someone still stopped to ask if you were ok just in case! That s’mores bar looks so good!!

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Okay I’ve wanted to make this smore dessert for some time and today it was baked! Oh my….what an excellent dessert. My husband is sooooo happy with it too :) thanks for sharing!

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