Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 things)

July 19, 2012 by 7 Comments

The humidity finally broke last night following some crazy thunderstorms so this morning’s run was the first really pleasant run of the week – a 3 mile Fartlek, run #3 in the Merrell Pace Gloves…I’m still very happy with them!

I’ve got a massage scheduled for later today. As I mentioned in a post about acupuncture earlier this year, one of my big goals for 2012 is to stay injury-free, and one of my “proactive self care” steps is to try to get regular massages. Obviously my wallet will dictate how often I can go, but I’m going to do my best to make them a consistent part of my fall training plan.

64 days until the ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon & 10k! I’m so psyched that my friend E has signed up to run the 10k so we’ll be Cape-bound together! The course map is now up on the ZOOMA website and it looks like this course will offer a little bit of everything…great ocean views, tree-lined streets and rolling hills. You can checkout the course HERE. Registration is capped at 1,000 for the two races so don’t wait to register – you can still use the code CCAMB3 and receive $10 off the half marathon or $5 off the 10k.

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Filed Under: 3 things, massage, ZOOMA Cape Cod

Monday Motivation: Each run gives you something

July 16, 2012 by 12 Comments
You know those runs where you feel like you’re just flying…the wind is at your back, your legs are firing on all cylinders and you could just keep going long past your target miles for the day?

Yeah…well this morning for me was NOT one of those runs! It was already pushing 80 at 6:15 this morning and when I stepped out my door my arch enemy humidity was waiting for me. Less than a mile in, I was a drippy, sweaty mess and I knew this was going to be one of those runs where I’d do a lot of bargaining with myself…”just 3 more telephone poles,” “OK, just get to the next stop sign.”

The good thing about this morning’s run? I pushed through and finished it. And, no matter how bad it felt while I was in the middle of it, it felt really good to have gotten it done.

After having a string of really good runs all last week, this morning’s run was a reminder that not all runs are great…but each run gives you something. This run made me focus more on my form, it tested my will when I just wasn’t feeling it and it kicked off my 3rd week of training…getting me just a little closer to my goal.

What did your run give you today?

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Filed Under: mental toughness, Monday Motivation, tough runs

Coaching, Yoga, New Shoes, etc.

July 13, 2012 by 4 Comments
Coaching….

I had my bi-weekly check in call with Coach Bennett this morning. We reviewed how the first couple of weeks are going and he gave me some suggestions on my pacing and acclimating to this never ending heat. So far I’m really enjoying working with him – he’s got a great attitude and has put together a plan for me that is both challenging but doable.

Yoga…..

Last night was week #9 of my Yoga for Runners class – it continues to be a bit of a 2-hour torture session but my hamstrings always appreciate it later! If you aren’t already doing so, I seriously encourage every runner to incorporate a little yoga into your training – really makes such a difference!

New Shoes…..

Finally got my first run in the Merrell Pace Gloves on Wednesday — love them!! I think it was the right call to keep the first run in them short – there is really a big difference in the feel of a zero drop shoe. My calves were a little achy later in the day but a little time in compression sleeves seemed to take care of that. For now I’m going to plan to use them just for short runs and stick with the Kinvara 2s for longer ones.

etc……

I cannot believe that we’re just about at the half way through July! I still have way too much on my “want to do this summer” list. I’m trying really hard to balance that feeling of “summer’s too short and we’ve got to get it all in!” vs. staying in the moment and enjoying the days as they come (sometimes easier said than done).

How’s your summer going so far? Does it feel like it’s flying by?
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Filed Under: Merrell Dash Gloves, running coach, Yoga

Week 2 – Half Marathon Training

July 9, 2012 by 15 Comments

So week 1 of my new training plan is in the books. After Tuesday’s heat fest/race and a little over indulging on the 4th (read lots of great food and sangria!), Thursday’s run was sluggish at best. I ended up shortening my tempo run by a mile because my dead legs just couldn’t hold the target pace. There was lots of yoga on Friday and Saturday’s run felt good in spite of the crazy humidity!

On the plan for this week:

Monday — Steady state (5) w/negative split on the back half
Tuesday — X-Training
Wednesday — Easy Fartlek (3)
Thursday — Tempo (6) plus Yoga
Friday — Rest day
Saturday — Race pace (6) plus warm up and cool down miles
Sunday — Rest and Yoga

For cross-training this week, I’ll be volunteering at my youngest son’s camp on Tuesday organizing games and generally running around with a bunch of 6 & 7 year olds for 4 hrs — could be my toughest day of the whole week! I didn’t get to try out my new Merrells on Sunday so I think I’ll test them out on the Fartlek run – it’s killing me that they’ve been in the box for this long 🙂

What have you got planned for the week?

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Filed Under: half marathon training, Merrell Dash Gloves

Finish at the 50 Race Report

July 6, 2012 by 10 Comments

On Tuesday the whole family headed down to Gillette Stadium (home of my beloved Patriots) for the Finish at the 50! We arrived in plenty of time to score a prime parking space for the fireworks later, and headed over to the entrance to the stadium for the kids races. All of the event emails had said that the kids races started at 3 – well at 3:05 we along with 700+ kids and their families were still waiting outside the gates, melting in the sun. We finally got in and seated according to age-group heats only to hear our master of ceremonies announce that the races would kick-off at 3:30 — more waiting in the sun and heat! Uggh!

Finally the first group of kids were called down to the field to get started. There were kids as young as 2 participating – they were so cute! And with some many kids there were multiple age group heats, plus each age-group was split by gender. Watching the kids all give it their best was a lot of fun and parents did there best to whoop it up and make a lot of noise for them. Each kids race crossed the same finish line the 5k & 10k would use later and they could see themselves on the jumbo-tron as they finished!


with the Patriot’s mascot!

Once my son’s race was done we made a beeline for the covered part of the stadium and the concession stands! Despite doing my best to keep downing Nuun throughout the kids races I could feel my energy level draining. There was still an hour and a half until my race so we decided to avoid the very crowded expo/mall and headed back to the car to hang out. I grab a banana and Luna bar and more water. Soon it was time to head over to the start. It was approaching 6 PM and unfortunately wasn’t cooling off (my phone showed a temp of 85).

Pre-race with my favorite cheer squad!

I waited as long as I could before heading down into the corrals. Unfortunately, the race didn’t start right at 6 and waiting in that heat with 7000 of my closest friends was a little tough! I chatted with a couple of people and tried not to think about how hot it was. Finally the crowd started to shift forward and everybody let out a cheer -We were off!

My only plan for this race was to run on feel so I just tried to settle into among the crowd and find a pace that felt comfortable. I was holding up pretty well for the first 3+ miles but as I neared the 4 mile marker I could tell the heat was starting to take a toll. I walked the water station drinking some water and dumping the rest over my head. The 5th mile became a run/walk death march – I was ready to be done! We were running through residential neighborhoods and people had brought out hoses and set up makeshift water stations to help. There weren’t many spectators but the ones that were along the course were really enthusiastic! I was so happy to see the 5 mile marker! We were looping back towards the stadium now and I started to hear the music and race announcer. For the last stretch of the race, we came through the same tunnel that the NE Patriot players use to come on to the field, and then down the center of the field to the 50 yard line finish! Truly a cool way to finish a race, especially with the announcer calling your name and your finish up on the giant screens both above and outside the stadium!

Happy the race is over!

J and the kids were right where they said they were going to be in the stands so we had no problem finding each other. There were pre-packaged goodie bags for all the runners – I grab a bag, some water and a greek yougurt  and was ready to head out. We made our way back to the car and set up the picnic blanket and chairs to wait for the fireworks. It was a great fireworks display!

All in all despite the heat it was a fun day! The course itself was a nice route and I kept thinking I would have love to have run it first thing in the morning (or as one runner and joked during the race – in October!) I didn’t love running late in the day – and it showed in my slowest 10k time ever. I think if I run another summer race that I’ll stick to the early morning starts! But it was a fun event for the whole family to participate in and a great way to kick off the 4th of July celebrations!

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Filed Under: 10ks, 4th of July, Finish at the 50, race report

Monday Motivation – Let Training Begin!

July 2, 2012 by 14 Comments

Training for my two fall half marathons kicks off this week! Yeah I’m just a little excited!

I’m running the Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 10k tomorrow evening – should be a ton of fun! I’m not going into this race with any big goals. Given the heat ( mid to upper 80s projected), the start time (I am exclusively a morning runner) and the fact that I haven’t run a 10k race since last October, my main goals are to put in a solid run and have fun. In June, my speedwork went well, but overall I didn’t get in as many miles as I’d hoped (recovering from my May malaise lasted a bit longer than I wanted). So the bottom line, as I told Coach Bennett the other day is that I just have no idea what to expect for this race. I’m going to run by feel and see what happens.

So Week 1 training looks like this:

Monday — Yoga, rest and hydrate!
Tuesday — Race
Wednesday — Rest
Thursday — Tempo run (5)
Friday — Yoga
Saturday — LSD (7)
Sunday — Rest**

** I may through a light shake out run of just a couple of miles cause I’m dying to try out my new Merrell Dash Gloves!

What have you got planned for the week? Any 4th of July racing?
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Filed Under: 4th of July, Finish at the 50, half marathon training, Monday Motivation, Quotes, running coach

ZOOMA Cape Cod Kickoff Party

June 29, 2012 by 8 Comments

Tuesday night was the ZOOMA Cape Cod kickoff event at City Sports Boston! It was a great chance to meet Brooke (ZOOMA’s events director), fellow ambassadors Bethany & Samantha, as well as to see Nancy & Jessica again! The night was a great mix of running, meeting new people, fun swag, and shopping!

Me with Bethany, Nancy, Samantha, Jessica & Brooke

We started off the evening with a group run. City Sports Boston has a great running group that meets every Tuesday night, running either a 3.5 mile loop or a 5 mile loop. And, lucky for us, Bethany regularly runs with them so she led our ZOOMA group! We ran a little over 3 miles with a nice stretch along the Charles River (one of my favorite spots for a run). It was a great chance to chat and meet some of the women who’d come out for the event – for some of the women ZOOMA will be their first half marathon and for others it will be their first 10k – how cool! I was also really happy to get to meet up with Vicma, one of the lead ambassadors for Black Girls Run’s Boston chapter – after being in touch online it was so fun to meet her in person!

Post-run there were snacks and the folks from Muscle Milk were handling out samples. There were also  massages for the runners, raffles and with a 20% discount on everything in the store, a chance to shop!

Yes I walked out with these – Merrell Dash Gloves!

It was a great party and people left really excited about the race! Personally I cannot wait! I think this party is a perfect indication of what September’s race will be like – a great mix of running and fun!

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Filed Under: ZOOMA Cape Cod

Working with a coach

June 25, 2012 by 9 Comments

As I gear up to start training for my two fall half marathons, I’ll be adding a new twist – working with a running coach!

My new coach is Bennett Cohen — he’s a running coach to women boomers (read those of us 40+), and is also the President of the International Association of Women Runners. We connected over a year ago and have been in touch off and on via email ever since. I’ve been feeling a little stalled in my progress and was starting to spin myself in knots trying to find the “right” training plan. Working with Bennett, I’m really looking forward to having someone else make my training decisions, monitor my progress and work with me to make the necessary adjustments!

After a great conversation last week, a review of my race results, recent runs, and my goals, Bennett sent me the first 6 weeks of my customized plan. Training officially kicks off next week and I cannot wait to begin! I’m both nervous and excited! This plan is definitely going to push me out of my comfort zone a bit and I’m looking forward to the challenge of it and seeing where it takes me.

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Filed Under: running coach, training

Fall Racing

June 22, 2012 by 10 Comments

Last night I started my 2nd 6-week session of “Yoga for Runners” – a 2-hour torture session gloriously zen experience, where I and 7 other runners attempt to get our hamstrings and hip flexors to release…just a little bit from their usual death grip-like existence. After class our instructor mentioned fall racing and it was funny to see everyone light up and immediately start comparing notes on which races were on their fall calendars, training plans, etc. It was a little like watching kids talk about Christmas – you could just feel the excitement!

I’m happy to say that I think my fall schedule is pretty much set:

ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon — 9/22
Tufts 10k for Women — 10/8
Canton Fall Classic (5k) — 10/28
Chilly Half Marathon — 11/11

I think it’s a good mix of distances to help keep things interesting, but not so many races that my legs will rebel.

Have you got a big race (or two) lined up for the fall? When does training begin?

By the way – if you are thinking of heading to the Cape this fall to run ZOOMA don’t wait to register, price increase kicks in tomorrow. And remember to use the code in my sidebar for a discount on either the half marathon or 10k.

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Filed Under: fall racing, keeping it interesting, race calendar

Settling into Summer

June 20, 2012 by 8 Comments

After a whirlwind weekend of lacrosse tournament games (my son’s team won the whole thing!), t-ball, birthday parties and …oh yeah a little running, we officially wrapped up the school year yesterday and have flipped the switch to “summer.”

As first mornings go we’re off to a good start – my youngest is sleeping in, my oldest is deeply engrossed in a book and the dog and I are lounging on the deck enjoying coffee and the quiet (hope this lasts for a bit!) It was so nice not to face the morning scramble to get the door in time for the bus! I’m looking forward to some down time before camps start, where we just take each day as it comes – kind of nice to leave schedules behind for a bit.

Since I ran yesterday morning, I’m going to try to get some strength training in before the boys and I get out and about for the day. According to the weather folks, summer heat is suppose to kick in full force today and stick with us for the foreseeable future — should make tomorrow’s track work torture… challenging! I refuse to complain – it is summer after all (someone please remind me I said that as the temps start climbing!) With a serious focus on hydration today and an extra early start in the morning, hopefully it will be manageable.

Have you faced the summer heat yet? How are you fairing so far?

 

 

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Filed Under: summer mode, weather