Michelle — Page 130

Sunday morning solitude

July 18, 2010 by Michelle 3 Comments

Despite my overwhelming desire to sleep in on a Sunday morning, this is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week to get a run in!

Early on a Sunday morning, there’s is no commuter traffic to dodge. Instead “traffic” this morning consisted of a rabbit, a couple of squirrels, and a family of Canadian geese. No need to try to tune out the trucks making early morning deliveries. Instead, just the birds having an animated “conversation” and the sound of my own footsteps. Even my Chatter Brain decided to sleep-in. It was a rare chance to just tune in and enjoy the rhythm of the run.

Even when I return home, Sundays are the rare day when I can come back home to a quiet house…only the dog is waiting for me…wondering why I didn’t take him along. To not be greeted with a barrage of “Mom I need”‘s is a beautiful thing indeed! Sometimes, like this morning, I’m even lucky enough for the solitude to extend through a post-run shower – definitely not happening during the week!

I remind myself of the solitude that awaits me when I feel that urge to hit the snooze. The peaceful, almost meditative state of a Sunday morning run sets a great tone for the day ahead!

Filed Under: general musings, observations

Friday Shout Outs

July 16, 2010 by Michelle 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

Boy that was a fast week! Looking forward to hanging out with the family this weekend and getting in a little beach time!

Wanted to send out some Friday Shout-outs to:

Mel at Tall Mom on the Run for her “High Five Fridays” and the inspiration for this new post series
the wonderful counselors at my kids’ camp who continue to ensure that my kids come home each day happy and exhausted — made for very mellow evenings at my house this week 😉
Mother Nature for showing pity on me and providing a light rain and sub-70 temps for my run yesterday
Marlene at Mission to a(nother) Marathon for already surpassing 1,000 miles — impressive!
anyone taking on the challenge of a race this weekend — good luck & stay hydrated!!

Have a Great Weekend!

Filed Under: Shout-outs

Catching Excellence

July 12, 2010 by Michelle 6 Comments

Perfection is not attainable,

but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.

– Vince Lombardi

I start my 10k training plan this week! After checking out a bunch of plans, I’m going with Runner’s World Smart Coach. I like that with Smart Coach you can input info on your last race, weekly mileage, how hard you want to train and for how long and it gives you a “customized” training plan for free!

With this plan I’ll be running 3 days a week and can fit in my two pilates classes and some weight training and bike work and still have one day for rest. I’ll also be mixing in some speed work, tempo runs and hill repeats as the weeks go on. I also decided to build in a little cushion in my timing and not take the training program right up to race day just to give myself some wiggle room…..cause life happens, right?

You can check out Smart Coach on the Runner’s World website http://www.runnersworld.com

Don’t miss the great giveaways going on this week on some of my favorite blogs – check out the sidebar!!

Happy Running!

Filed Under: giveaways, Monday Motivation, Quotes, Smart Coach, training

Chatter brain

July 9, 2010 by Michelle 1 Comment

Maybe it was the shock of the early hour (first time before 6!) or maybe it was the humidity but my brain was in overdrive this morning…..

how can it STILL be this HOT!?! And why am I out here?!?
ok you’re out here so you can either whine about it or try to enjoy it
it’s cool to watch the sky brighten as the sun rises higher
actually feeling pretty good….kickin’ Mother Nature’s fanny!
love listening to the Black Eye Peas
what am I packing the boys for lunch today? Really need to hit the grocery store
hmmm what should I make for dinner….
now why did I have to run by the bank….sometimes it’s better NOT know how hot it is
wonder whose idea it was to have banks display the time and temp….what does that have to do with money? just sayin’…..
this last half mile seems to be going on forever
ok am I actually singing along with Kanye West out loud…oh the neighbors will love that!
hello Mother Nature…I take back the fanny comment – maybe we could call it a draw

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: general musings, observations

New Motivation – New Race

July 5, 2010 by Michelle 4 Comments

Instead of an inspirational quote for this week’s Monday Motivation, I chose to register for another race….and this time it’s a 10k! After years of hearing so much about the spirit and camaraderie of this event, I decided this morning to register for the Tufts 10k for Women!

I am once again both psyched and nervous! As I went for a run this morning in 80-plus degrees, I wondered how in the world I’m going to double my mileage to comfortably finish the 6.2 miles while training in the summer’s heat. On the good side, the race isn’t until October 11 so there is time…but training in the heat will be unavoidable.

So now I’m trying to decide on a 10k training plan to follow, cause the one thing I definitely learned from working up to my 5k is that my running is much more productive when I have a game plan. But the question is, which plan to follow? I’ve looked at Running Planet’s 10k program for Beginning Competitors and their 10k for Recreational Runners ; and then there’s Cool Running’s Beginner’s 10k . These are free programs, then there a whole host of fee-based programs. So how does one decide? And how long do you need to train – some of these programs are 12 weeks while others are 8? I’ve got 14 weeks til race day so I’ll need to figure all this out fairly soon.

In any event, it’s nice to have a new target and new motivation!

Filed Under: Monday Motivation, race, training, Tufts 10k

July already?!?!

July 3, 2010 by Michelle Leave a Comment

July already?!?! I know everybody seems to be saying that but it really does feel like the first half of this year flew by in a blink…especially the month of June.

When I laced up for my run yesterday I realized it was my first run in two months without a target – I’ve been focused on getting ready for my first 5K and completing the C25K program. Now the race has come and gone and as I headed out I thought….ok, now what?

So the mid-point of the year seems like a good time to set some goals to carry me through to the frosty days of December.

Run two more 5k races, improving my time with each race. The beauty of being a newbie runner is each race is a PR!
Run a 10k race
Increase my monthly mileage each month. I added 10 miles in June over May so with goals 1 & 2 this one shouldn’t be a stretch.
Embrace hill repeats into my training. I loathe hills so this one will be a real challenge!
Continue to improve my eating habits and find the food/drink that works best for me both pre- and post-run.
Continue the weight training routines I started with the trainer. The trainer sessions are done but I feel like I was making progress, especially with my “angry” left leg and I do not want to regress.
Identify races for 2011….including….dare I say it….a half marathon!

That ought to keep me busy and challenged! 🙂

Would love to hear what others goals are for the rest of 2010! Happy running everyone!

Filed Under: C25K, goals, race, training

Everyone should Run Like a Mother!

July 1, 2010 by Michelle 6 Comments

I’d heard about the book Run Like A Mother and had been meaning to check it out. Got to read a few pages with the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon and I was hooked. I quickly downloaded the book to my Kindle (love that instant gratification!) and started reading. I was not disappointed!

Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity

I love that I walked away feeling like I know Dimity and Sarah – like we’d been hanging out with a cup of coffee (or maybe I should say on a long run) while they imparted all of this great wisdom to this newbie runner! No subject is off-limits! It’s funny, intelligent and very real. I love the quotes from the collection of mom runners – very inspiring and easy to relate to, whether you’re running your first 5k or 2nd marathon.

I now also enjoy the RLAM blog and Facebook page , and know I’ll go back to this book again and again for a good laugh, a useful tip and some always appreciated motivation!

Filed Under: fave things, product reviews

First Race Report!!!

June 28, 2010 by Michelle 6 Comments

My first race report — feels so good to say that!

Quite simply, I had so much fun this morning!

The whole family was up and out fairly easily this morning. The boys were really excited to go cheer on mom and while I was initially a little nervous when I first woke up, I quickly got swept up in their enthusiasm. My goal for the day was to just enjoy the whole experience and have fun! This sentiment was summed up in my choice of t-shirt which said “Breathe Deeply. Appreciate the Moment.”

Once we got to the race, I kissed the boys & hubby goodbye and joined the masses heading to the starting line. While waiting for the race to start I chatted with several runners – whenever they heard I was a newbie runner everyone was so encouraging and positive. It was a great atmosphere! They were a little slow getting the race started but when the start was finally announced, everyone let out a big cheer and we were off!

I was really worried about going out too fast, especially with such a flat course, but it didn’t take me long to get into a comfortable pace (thank goodness for the playlist I created last night!).

It was great seeing my guys cheering as I reached the first mile marker. I swear there’s no better sound than the kiddos yelling “Go Mommy Go!”

I was psyched about how good my left leg was feeling – the kicker for me was the heat. The sun was so intense – it was pushing 80 degrees already! About half way through I was wishing I had worn my visor just to help keep the sun from beating on my forehead.

When we made the last turn, I could see where we had parked and knew I was close to the end – time to push. I had promised myself to finish strong!

(I love that my hubby caught me smiling here – I had just spotted my guys near the finish)

(The only other minor negative of the day apart from the heat, was that the race timer was not working properly so the “official race times” were off — good thing I kept my own time on my watch!)

After the race, I milled around chatting with other runners in the food line and with some of the sponsors. I ended up talking with reps from EAS Myloplex about what makes a good post-workout drink. I had brought the new Gatorade Recover 03 with me to the race but it was unbelievably sweet and I just couldn’t drink it! I tried the Myloplex Lite Chocholate Cream and really liked it. The reps even asked me if they could take a picture of me holding the product in front of their booth – of course I said yes! How fun!

As we headed home, I just felt very satisfied. It was so cool to set a goal like this and have it realized in a few short weeks! So I have my first finisher medal and must admit I’m thinking about my next race….I might be hooked!

Filed Under: product reviews, race, race report

In Praise of Yamuna Body Rolling

June 25, 2010 by Michelle 2 Comments

A few weeks ago in one of my many attempts to clean my hall closet, I came across my Yamuna Body Rolling balls tucked away on a shelf. I decided to put them to use again and now I cannot imagine why I ever let them disappear into the abyss of my closet in the first place!

Yamuna Body Rolling is a series of routines using 6 – 10 inch balls specifically designed for the practice. According to the YBR website:

“(it) works the way a hands-on practitioner works -only using a ball. The ball replaces hands as it moves on muscles to stretch them, dislodge tension and discomfort, increase blood flow, and promote healing. Lying over the ball, you literally roll your body out almost like dough, stretching and elongating your muscles. The YBR routines follow specific sequences that match the body’s own logic and order. Starting where each muscle begins, at its origin, you roll toward where it attaches to the point called its insertion.”

I was introduced to Yamuna Body Rolling by a couple of my pilates instructors (one of who also runs marathons) and took a few classes to learn some of the routines. But eventually, making time to do the routines became less and less of a priority….too busy rushing around….and lo and behold, the balls ended up in the back of the closet!

However, in these past couple of weeks, I have been making the time to do a couple of the routines, both the night before a morning run and following a run (much harder with the kids and the demands of the day calling), as well as after a weights workout. I’m finding the level of soreness in my muscles is diminished, and that alone is reason to continue to make time for it!

Filed Under: fave things, tips, Yamuna Body Rolling