Weekly Run Down – Still listening

January 26, 2020 by 27 Comments

So if the theme for last week’s Run Down, was “listen to your body”, then this week’s is “I’m still listening.”

There was minimal running…and another trip to the acupuncturist. Here’s a quick look at how the week played out.

A much-needed reminder!

Monday — Double session of T25. 25 minutes of ab intervals followed by the 25-minute stretch made for a good workout.

Tuesday — 1-mile run. This was supposed to be 4 but within the first half mile, I knew my quad was too cranky to continue so I pulled the plug after just a mile.

Wednesday — Orangetheory. Challenging as always and I loved it!

Thursday — Yoga instead of a 5-mile run. A wise choice!

Friday — Rest day and a trip to the acupuncturist.

Saturday — 4 miles. I woke up feeling pretty good after Friday’s rest and acupuncture, but I kept this run nice and easy.

Sunday — Stretching and rest.

Heading off injury

Overall this was a pretty quiet week, but what my body needed. Somewhere over the past couple of weeks, it seems I strained my upper right quad. Up until Tuesday’s attempt, it hasn’t prevented me from running or working out (read – I’ve been ignoring it until I couldn’t!). I usually don’t feel any discomfort until post-workout, and then it feels like everything has locked up. So Coach Marc and I have agreed to keep the miles on the low side, and up the focus on strength training. I’ve also got an appointment scheduled with my massage therapist for this week – she’s proven to be a miracle worker in the past. And, I’ll be back to see the acupuncturist as well. I’m determined to stay ahead of this and I’m super thankful I have got time before I start training for the New England 10 Miler Series which starts in April.

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

Tell me something about your week? Do you tend to back off when you feel discomfort or continue to push through?

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Weekly Run Down: Listen to Your Body

January 20, 2020 by 19 Comments

Happy Monday!

Last week was another busy week with lots on the schedule to juggle. I must admit I was feeling kind of creaky – maybe it was the sudden return to frigid temps or the new nagging ache in my upper right quad. Needless to say, the theme for the week was “listen to your body”. Here’s how my workouts played out.

Source: Pinterest

Monday — Yoga
Tuesday — 3.25 miles. It was a super busy day, but I was happy to jump on the treadmill to get this run in before heading to my son’s winter concert.
Wednesday — Rest day. I finally got back to see the acupuncturist to help ease some of my creakings and made a note to self that I need to be more consistent with my visits.
Thursday — More miles on the mill. My son was home sick from school so it was helpful to have the treadmill available for another quick 3-miler.
Friday — Orangetheory 1-mile benchmark. Given my creeky-ness and general lack of speedwork, Coach Marc cautioned me on going out too fast. I started fairly conservatively for the first half and then increased the pace for each of the next two quarter miles. Since this was my first benchmark I logged an instant PR. I’m looking forward to the next benchmark run at the end of the spring.

Saturday — 5 miles. It was a bitter 16 degrees when my alarm went off so I procrastinated until midday when it reached a balmy 20. With no sunshine and a slight headwind, it felt a lot colder. On the upside, the roads were quiet.

Sunday — With my creaky-ness in full effect, this was another rest day, aside from a little shoveling thanks to the overnight snowfall.

The week felt really long so having today off for Martin Luther King Day is a welcome bonus. And, in honor of Dr. King, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes of his.

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: listening to your body, MLK, Weekly Run Down

My 2020 Fitness Goals

January 14, 2020 by 34 Comments

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know I’m a big goal setter. During my holiday downtime, I took some time to reflect on the past year and to mull over new goals for all areas of life. Today, I’m sharing my 2020 fitness goals.

2020 Fitness Goals

Improve my pacing — With marathon training last year, my focus was all about building miles. This year, I’d like to work on my pacing and find a little “speed”.

Run 50 miles/month — I’m borrowing this one from Kim. This mileage feels doable and will help me to keep a nice base.

Build a yoga practice — I’ve been very on-again, off-again with yoga, but the truth is I feel better when I find some time for my mat. So the goal is to practice yoga at least once a week.

Sharing 5 key fitness goals for 2020! #TuesdayTopics #goals #bibchat Share on X

Focus on recovery and cross-training –– Lesson learned from marathon training, I need to create a simple but consistent recovery routine. On the cross-training front, I feel like I’m on a good path with Orangetheory, so the goal is to get to the studio 2x’s/week. Of course, the big goal, always, is to stay injury-free and I think keeping a balanced focus on both recovery and cross-training will go a long way in making that happen.

Prioritize sleep — This was a 2019 goal, and while I whined…er…mentioned my sleep struggles throughout the year, the truth is I didn’t do much to help set myself up for success (i.e., stayed up too late, no evening routine, some late-night snacking, etc). I’ve written about the importance of sleep for runners before, now it’s time for me to really heed the message and focus on creating some good sleep habits.

As always, I’ll be using smaller monthly goals to help to keep me on track and accountable.

Have you set any fitness goals for 2020?

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: goals, Tuesday Topics

Weekly Run Down: Kicking Off 2020

January 5, 2020 by 22 Comments

This week was about squeezing the last bit of fun out of the holidays, wrapping up school break, and returning to work. I’m pretty pleased that throughout this holiday season I was consistent with my workouts, and this week was no exception.

Weekly Run Down – 2020 Kickoff

Monday — 3 miles. Icy rain had me running on the mill, but on the plus side, I got try out my new BibRave Pro singlet! This was my last run of the year bringing my yearly total to 806 miles.

Tuesday —  Core work and PT exercises.

Wednesday — 3 miles with my hubby to kick off 2020!

Thursday — Yoga. One of my goals for this year is to build a consistent yoga practice. So I plan to take advantage of my Gaia subscription to spend some quality time with Rodney Yee.

Photo courtesy of Gaia.com

Friday — After missing out on Orangetheory all last week it felt great to get back to class! This was my first class with Coach Erin and I really liked her style!

Kicking off 2020! #WeeklyRunDown #BibChat @freepmarathon #FreepMaraBR #FreepMarathon Share on X

Saturday — 6-mile run. I opted for running in the rain vs. the treadmill – I’m still struggling with the thought of running anything longer than 4 on the mill. Thankfully, it wasn’t a downpour. I’m six weeks out from my first race of 2020 so it’s time to start to increase my mileage a little.

Sunday — Rest day. Today was all about soaking up the last day of the boys’ winter break before my oldest had to return to campus.

Come tomorrow we’ll be back in the swing of our regular routine around here. Coach Marc and I have been discussing changing up my training a bit as we keep staying injury-free at the forefront of our plans. So I may be playing with heart rate training and running for time…more to come.

Another race on the schedule!

I’m super excited to announce that I will be running the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon as a BibRave Pro! This race has been on my “want to run” list for a while so I’m really looking forward to running this one!

Want to join me in October? Visit https://www.freepmarathon.com/ and use code BIBRAVEDET20 for 10% off.

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: #BibRavePro, #FreepMarathon, FreepMaraBR, Weekly Run Down

Coffee Time 2020

January 3, 2020 by 28 Comments

Happy New Year!

I hope 2020 is starting off right for you! I’m joining Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date, so grab a mug of your fave hot beverage and let’s chat a little.

Ultimate Coffee Date – January 2020

Over coffee, I would tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the holidays! The time off from work was so needed and I fully embraced having everyone home under one roof. We cooked a lot, caught some movies (Jumanji & Star Wars), saw The Nutcracker, had some cutthroat games of Risk and Monopoly, spent time with extended family, and generally just enjoyed hanging out.

Over coffee, I would tell you that returning to work was crazy hard – like “I want no part of this” hard.

Some changes in career plans may be in order….

Over coffee, I would tell you that I always try to use the downtime to reflect and start to set some goals for the new year. And, as part of this process, I pick one word as the theme for my year across all areas of my life  – and this year my word is Curate. It feels like a perfect extension from last year’s word, Intentional.

I love that my husband surprised me with a custom Motivation Wrap!

What would you tell me over coffee? Did you enjoy the holidays? Do you pick one word for the year?

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Filed Under: one word, Ultimate coffee date

Winding Down 2019

December 29, 2019 by 25 Comments

I slid into full vacation mode this week – embracing lots of family time and holiday fun! My workouts were more relaxed as well – here’s how my week shook out.

Monday — 3 miles. Once I logged off my computer from work I grabbed my running shoes to enjoy a gorgeous 58-degree afternoon.

Tuesday — 1 mile on the mill plus PT exercises. We had a full day of Christmas Eve festivities planned so I was up early for a quick mile to shake out my legs and get back to my PT exercises.

Wednesday — Christmas Day! Does a sprint house cleaning session before guests arrive count as my workout? I think so!

Thursday — Yoga. I had to share my mat with my furry yogini 🙂

Friday — 2-miles plus PT exercises. Temps were in the 50s again!

Saturday — 4.5 miles. The weather was picture perfect and the temps were mild. I will admit it took me forever to get motivated to get out the door, but once I was out I had no regrets!

Did you notice that there was no OTF this week? What?! Yes, I’m still learning that I need to book my classes far in advance to get the timeslots I want. It was clear that this week a lot of people must have had time off because all the time slots I wanted were full! Needless to say, I’ve booked my next few weeks of classes so I don’t miss out again!

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

How was your week? Any plans for New Year’s Eve?

 

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Last Runfessions of 2019

December 27, 2019 by 28 Comments

Happy Friday!

In just a few short days 2019 is a wrap! Before we usher in a new decade, a quick trip to the runfessional is in order. Thanks to Marcia for giving us all a chance to cleanse our souls/soles – let’s get started, shall we?


December Runfessions

I runfess that one of the unexpected “side effects” of my Orangetheory workouts may be that I’m learning to embrace the treadmill just a bit. Every OTF workout has a treadmill block, and dare I say I don’t mind those blocks at all! I’m not ready for a long run, but I consider this progress.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that I ran a marathon this year given that my “long-run” now is just 6 miles. I runfess that right now I have absolutely no desire to “run all the miles” and I’m perfectly ok with that!

I runfess that part of the reason why I’m content with keeping my running low-keyed at the moment is that I’m just a little obsessed with OTF! I love the way I feel after class!

Do you find you need a break from running? What are you runfessing?

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Filed Under: OTF, Runfessions

Weekly Run Down – Holiday Mode

December 22, 2019 by 25 Comments

After a couple of weeks of juggling crazy work days, winter concerts and other school events, and all that goes into Christmas prep, I am more than ready to shift into holiday mode. Amongst the madness, I’ve kept up on my workouts (to save my sanity!) – Here’s a quick run down:

Running

Over the past couple of weeks, my runs have been short (3 -4 miles) and uneventful. We finally found a home for the treadmill I won and it has come in handy on some of the more frigid days where black ice was a concern.

Cross-Training

If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I continue to love my Orangetheory workouts! I’ve been able to get to the studio twice a week, which feels like a good balance with 3 days of running. The classes are challenging and I love that no two classes are alike.

I’ve also managed to spend a little time on my yoga mat once a week – a rare occurrence that needs to happen more often!

I think this mix of 3 days running and 4 days of cross-training has really agreed with my cranky hip, which has been much quieter lately.

Today will be all about making cookies, wrapping gifts, and hanging with the fam, and then one more day in the office tomorrow before going into full vacation mode! Can.not.wait!

So tell me are you ready for the holidays? Taking any time off?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: holiday sanity, Weekly Run Down

2019 Year in Bling

December 10, 2019 by 16 Comments

For today’s Tuesday Topics, Kim and Zenaida are inviting everyone to share their bling for 2019. How fun!

While there were not a lot of races on my calendar this year – the ones I did run offered some great bling with great memories behind each one.

Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon

This race is one of my favorites – I love that it honors fallen first responders.

B.A.A 10K

This is another race I have run on multiple occasions – it’s a great run through Boston

Narragansett 10K

Such a fun race, despite the sweltering summer heat! Thankfully there was post-race beer!

No bling but a cute shirt!

Surftown Half Marathon

Half marathon #15 was a training run for the Chicago Marathon

International Chicago 5K & Chicago Marathon

Just an awesome weekend…and my first marathon!

Chocolate Marshmallow 5K

How can you not want to run a race with this name!

And that’s my year in bling! I can’t wait to add to the collection in 2020!

 

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Filed Under: races, Tuesday Topics, Uncategorized

Running Down an Off Week

December 8, 2019 by 30 Comments

An early week snowstorm, a very long week at work, poor sleep, and a less than happy hip left me feeling very “off” this week. Here’s a quick rundown on the week’s workouts:

Weekly Run Down

Monday — Bosu workout.

I really need to use the Bosu more often!

Tuesday —  Snow day – shoveling was my workout!
Wednesday — Orangetheory Fitness
Thursday — Lots of black ice had me hitting the gym early with my husband for 3 miles on the mill. I also made a trip to my massage therapist for some work on my hip.

Friday —  The crazy week at work and poor sleep seriously caught up with me so I took a pass on my run and focused on some core work instead.

Saturday — Orangetheory – while this early morning workout was a bit of a shock to the system I loved the “seven bells a ringing” theme which included a lot of upper body work.
Sunday — Chocolate Marshmallow 5K – I had originally registered for the 10K, but as the week wore on I had it on my mind to drop down to the 5K. It was the right call – recap to come.

Despite feeling like I was on the struggle bus a good bit of the week, I am happy that I got in the workouts I did to keep the #HolidaySweat Challenge going. There wasn’t much running and I’m fine with that – I’ve wanted to mix up my workouts more, plus there’s always a little running during Orangetheory.

So tell me something about your week. 

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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