Hello Week 2

March 15, 2011 by 10 Comments

Week 2 Training (Had meant to post this yesterday, but my to do list seriously got in the way!):

 Monday — Yoga (hmm yeah….see note above)

Tuesday — Tempo Run

Wednesday — Easy Run (3) & Strength Training

Thursday — Rest

Friday — Long Run (7 or 8)

Saturday — Pilates Reformer

Sunday — Easy Run (4)

Today’s run felt really good! The plan called for 3 miles at 11:00/mi plus warm-up and cool down. I had hoped to do five total but was a little pressed for time – 4 was going to be more realistic. So I ran Mile 1 at a comfortable pace and then just picked it up for the next three for a 10:37 ave. pace. I’m still trying to embrace my inner yogi – missed yesterday so hopefully I can squeeze a  little in as the week goes on.

Overall, I think I’m going to enjoy having my long runs on Fridays. With the kids crazy spring sports schedules about to kick in, not to mention my hubs J’s lacrosse league, fitting in long runs on the weekends (especially once the runs hit double-digits) was just not looking practical.

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When do you do your long runs?

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Filed Under: long runs, tempo runs, training

Signs with a Little Attitude

March 14, 2011 by 9 Comments

Last month, Megan at Build A Sign contacted me with an opportunity to design a couple of things and try out their products. Sounded like fun so I said I would love to!

With Build A Sign, you can make a sign for just about everything and it was fun playing around with different ideas of what to make. The site was really easy to use – in fact my eight year old son had fun helping me with my designs.

In the end, I went with a bumper sticker (with one of my favorite quotes), a window cling and a fantastic banner my boys are planning to hold up at my next race!

The Bumper Sticker and Window Cling
(by the way, the sticker’s 2nd line says “everybody fails at something” –
kinda looks like “falls” – my bad with the camera angle!)
My boys with their new cheer banner!

I’m really psyched with the way everything came out  – I especially love the banner and can’t wait to see it along the race route! The whole process couldn’t have been easier – a big thanks to Megan!  She also gave me extra copies of both the window clings and bumper stickers to share; so if you’d like one to add to your collection, shoot me an email at runningwithattitude (at) yahoo.com.

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Filed Under: BuildASign, bumper stickers, giveaways, product reviews

Thursday Thoughts – Week 1 Training

March 10, 2011 by 6 Comments
  • I’m half way through Week 1 of my half marathon training plan. After looking at a bunch of different half plans, I decided to stick with Smart Coach – I figured it’s worked for me for my last two 10ks, so if it ain’t broke…..

  • I don’t want to jinx myself but I’m showing signs of getting faster! On the plan for Tuesday was 1600 intervals and I actually saw times in the low and mid 9’s – definitely speedy for me! And I ran the last interval faster than the first. All-in-all a nice return to the track.

  • I’m back to studying the ChiRunning DVD. I’m trying to break it down and concentrate on one “focus” per week so this week has been all about posture. When I get tired I start to slouch a bit, but I’ve noticed that if I concentrate on my posture it takes any pressure out of my lower back/hips. Next week I’ll work to incorporate the next “focus” – the lean.

 How’s your week going?

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    Filed Under: ChiRunning, Smart Coach, track work, training

    "I Just Felt Like Running" Virtual 5k Report

    March 7, 2011 by 6 Comments
    Another Sunday, another race….and what a difference a week makes! 
    Last Sunday I was slogging through snowy conditions at the Hyannis 10k with my hubs J and a couple thousand other crazy dedicated runners! Today, it was a muggy 55 degrees and it was just me and the road for a virtual 5k — A big thanks to Detroit Runner for sponsoring the “I Just Felt Like Running” virtual 5k!
    I loved being able to run in just a t-shirt and capris again. The weather really drew people out this morning, I saw lots of other runners and walkers and everyone seemed in a good mood and eager to smile and say hi. Made the run all the more enjoyable!
    I had been on a mini break this week, trying to give my knee a little rest before diving into my half marathon training, so I didn’t really have any specific goals for this run. I just wanted to keep a nice steady pace and to keep my left knee relatively happy.  Well, check and check. I finished 3.11 miles in 34:32 and according to my Garmin I hung solidly around 11:06/mile. Best of all the left knee felt fine! 
    Great way to start a Sunday!

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    Filed Under: race report, virtual race

    Friday Fun with the ABCs

    March 4, 2011 by 3 Comments

    I’ve really been enjoying the ABCs of Me posts that have been going around lately …and since this has been a quiet running week for me, I thought I’d join in. So here are my ABCs:

    A:  Age — 44
    B:  Bed Size  — Queen. I would love a King but there’s just not enough space for it!
    C:  Chore Your Hate — Dusting!!
    D:  Dogs — a beautiful German Shepherd who’ll be 2 next month
    E:  Essential Start Your Day Item — coffee without a doubt, though a toothbrush is a close second
    F:  Favorite Color — This one’s tough – I own a lot of Black clothing, but I love the color Red! Though lately I have a thing for Granny Smith Apple Green
    G:  Gold or Silver — Silver
    H:  Height — 5′ 3″
    I:  Instruments You Play — none
    J:  Job Title — there are many but the best one is Mom
    K:  Kids — 2 great boys!
    L:  Live — Massachusetts
    M:  Mother’s Name — my boys call her Nana
    N:  Nicknames — Mother Goose or Mother G, used only by a select few from my college days
    O:  Overnight Hospital Stays — 3
    P:  Pet Peeve –chronic lateness…everybody gets hung up once in a while, but then there are those who can just never seem to be on time
    Q:  Quote from a Movie — two faves: “I’m just a stomach flu away from my goal weight.”  and  “You’re the worst kind; you’re high maintenance but you think you’re low maintenance.” (Can you name the movies?)
    R:  Right or Left-Handed — Right
    S:  Siblings — 1 younger brother
    T:  Time You Wake Up — 6ish
    U:  Underwear — ummm, yeah…kinda don’t see it as optional
    V:  Vegetable You Dislike — peas…and “dislike” is not nearly a strong enough word!
    W:  What Makes You Late —  usually my hubs, but most of the time I’m punctual, if not early (see P above)
    X:   X-rays You’ve Had Done — does a CT scan count? otherwise just dental
    Y:  Yummy Food You Make — I love to cook so hopefully it’s all yummy. Big holiday spreads are a specialty and I’m told I make a mean Jambalaya 🙂

    Z:  Zoo Animal Favorite — I love the big cats

    Have a Great Weekend!
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    Filed Under: general musings

    My New Target

    March 2, 2011 by 6 Comments

    This lovely necklace came my way about a month ago courtesy of a great giveaway from Marcia at The Studly Runner (aka Running Off at the Mouth).

    Since I received the necklace from Nana’s Jewelry, it’s been sitting in the box it came in on a shelf in my closet — put aside until the 10k training I was currently in was complete.

    Well, the 10k is done and in the books. So on this first day of a new month, it seemed like a good time to bring it out. It may sound corny, but this little necklace will serve as a great reminder and motivator for the journey I’m about to embark on. I’m so excited to go after this goal!

    I’ve decided to treat this week as kind of a step back week — a chance to get my half training plan finalized and give my angry left knee a little break. So I did an easy run of 3 today, and plan to get in some strength training, yoga and couple more easy runs during the rest of this week. Then it will be time to go after my new target…time for another first! I can’t wait to get started!

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    Filed Under: firsts, goals, Half marathon, injuries, training

    Hyannis 10k Race Report

    February 28, 2011 by 12 Comments

    When I woke up to snow this morning, my first thought was “This is why you train in all kinds of weather – a treadmill can’t prepare you for this!” My Hubs J and I quickly got ready, packed our gear, grabbed a bite and once the boys were settled in with grandparents we headed out to make the drive to the Cape.

    As we got into Hyannis, we decided to avoid the madness of trying to find parking close to the race start and instead opted for a lot about a quarter mile away – gave us a nice little trot, warm up.  The lines at the porta-potties were crazy and slow but everyone around us at least was in good humor and we made the best of it. We made it to the start with no time to spare and were off.

    For those of you who are not familiar with Cape Cod, to say Cape roads are narrow is a understatement! So narrow roads and slippery conditions thanks to the snow falling made for a little bit of a chaotic start. As we had planned, J and I ran the first mile together and then we separated — his goal was to finish in just under an hour. I was feeling pretty good at this point, there were some twinges in my left knee but nothing indicating the trouble to come. As the course turned along the water, I was still feeling good about reaching my goal of a PR. But then the dark mile came…the twinges in my left knee grew a lot more intense. I backed off and then tried to walk, but it actually felt worse to walk (does that make any sense?!?) so I started to run again. The mile markers were non-existent so I chatted with a couple of different runners who spotted my Garmin and asked for an update.

    As I reached 5.5 miles, I decided to try to push for a strong finish. There was a great crowd at the end and I heard J cheering as I turned for the finishers chute. My brother had brought my oldest down to see the end of the race, so it was really great to see them both there!

    Despite the snow and angry knee, it felt great to be back in a race. It was a great group of runners, scenic course, and a lot of fun to run with J in his first 10k! (For the record: J did hit his goal – I’m so proud of him! And I missed matching my previous 10k time by only 40 seconds!)

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    Filed Under: Hyannis 10k, injuries, race report

    Thursday Thoughts: Pre-Race Edition

    February 24, 2011 by 6 Comments
    • The sharp knee pain from Sunday morphed into dull, but very present knee pain on Monday and Tuesday. So I skipped Tuesday’s 3 miler in favor of a lot of ice and some stretching. Seems to have paid off because today’s intervals felt great – speedy for me at a 9:30 pace and best of all the knee pain was gone!
    • There’s a different forecast every time  I check weather.com so still have no idea what the conditions will be like on Sunday. Being the type A personality that I am, I’ve made a gear list for every possible scenario so bring it on Mother Nature!
    • My TRX class last night and the recent knee pain have proven to me that I need to dedicate more time to strength training. It is one of my goals for 2011, but so far I haven’t been walking the walk with any consistency. But I’m committing to making it a key part of my half marathon training and will probably post my weekly training schedule here to help keep me accountable.

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      Filed Under: 3 things, Hyannis 10k, TRX, weather

      A Couple More Firsts

      February 20, 2011 by 8 Comments

      One of the beauties of being a new runner is that there are lots of firsts to celebrate! This morning I added a couple more firsts to my collection —  I ran 8 miles and in 15 degrees!

      Obviously I’m more excited about hitting 8 miles than I am about the new low temp…especially after such glorious weather just two days ago. But with a race on the Cape only a week away, I have to be prepared for whatever New England weather might decide to show up that day. Well given the high winds I ran into for at least half the run, I think I have definitely reached the point where I’m unfazed by the weather – a definite victory!

      The run itself was more like two runs – the first 4 and a half miles were smooth and easy. Then I felt a sharp pain on the outside of my left knee. I have no idea what happened, but after that it was part run, part hobble with the occasional stop and stretch. Not always pretty, but 8 done nonetheless – a first!

      Hopefully ice and rest is all that’s needed – I’m scheduled to run again until Tuesday…so fingers crossed!

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      Filed Under: firsts, Hyannis 10k, training, weather

      Giddy!

      February 18, 2011 by 4 Comments
      It’s 60 degrees today! 

      60 degrees! It’s been a l-o-n-g time since I’ve run in 60 degree weather. In fact I overdressed…definitely had too much on this morning. But, I didn’t care because I was running outside….and did I mention it was 60 degrees!

      Yes I was giddy for my run…so much so that I saw a rare sight – the words “slow down” on my garmin cause I was running faster than my pre-set pace range. A rare sight indeed but I was feeling good and enjoying the run and the feeling that Spring is on the way. Thank you Mother Nature…now behave yourself!

      Happy Friday!

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      Filed Under: general musings, weather