Michelle

Harborside Week 4

September 24, 2017 by Michelle 26 Comments

Week 4 of Harborside Half training is done and what blur of a week it was! It was one of those weeks where you stare at the calendar on Sunday night, take a deep breath, and brace yourself for the scramble to come. J was traveling so I was doing the single-parent thing…throw in the dog returning from board and train and the usual school/sports/homework dash and you start to get the picture.

Source: Tiny Budha

Workouts happened when they happened…there was some running, a little hiking, time on the Arc Trainer, and some yoga…with an assist from the newly-returned pup!

New meaning to downward dog!

I also got some time with my massage therapist who gave me an earful about needing to balance my running with more strength work. She has a point…strength work was noticeably absent from this week’s workouts and has been hit or miss lately. Past experience has taught me that I am not one of those people who can just run…my body holds up much better when supported by strength training.

So this upcoming week I’m re-committing to strength training. My friend E just joined my gym and we’ve made a pact to meet every Wednesday (and most Fridays when kids sports schedules allow). I’ll be incorporating the RunnersConnect Kettlebell for Runners program. I had started to do some kettlebell work with Trainer Stacey before she left and I’m looking forward to getting back at it.

So how was your week? Are you consistent with strength training?

I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. If you do a weekly training recap, be sure to join this great link-up for inspiration and motivation!

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Schedule vs Training, Strength training, Weekly Wrap

Wicked Half Race Report

September 22, 2017 by Michelle 34 Comments

Last Saturday, I ran in the Wicked Half Marathon. If you’ve been around here for the past couple of weeks then you know that my plan was to run this race as a “long run with benefits” (aka the LRB). With only one longish run of 9 miles just the week before and a seriously unreliable ankle, let’s be honest, I really had no business jumping into a half marathon! But, I can be stubborn and I was looking forward to the Skirt Sports Ambassador meet-up. So I figured treating this as a long run with the benefits of course support and a medal was the way to go!

The bat in the medal actually spins!

My goals for this run were simple – stick to my 4:1 run/walk intervals, ignore pace and run by feel, and finish upright and smiling. “Finishing is winning” would be my mantra.

With my hotel just a short 20-minute ride to the start, I was able to sleep until a little after 5 before needing to get up and head out. The minute I stepped out of the hotel the humidity smacked me in the face and I knew this was going to be a tough morning – humidity is my kryptonite for sure, it just sucks the life out of me. So I knew the struggle bus would be coming for me…it was just a question of how long I could outrun it 🙂

Parking was easy-peasy – I was literally steps from the start line so I had lots of time to tape up, finish fueling, and chat with a couple of other runners.

Pre-run and ready

Soon it was time to line up, listen to the national anthem and we were off. I’ve never done run/walk intervals in a race and was initially concerned about how it would work. But early on it was clear I had nothing to worry about and I fell in with a fair number of runners all doing some form of intervals. I ran the first few miles with a woman from Tennessee who was also following a 4:1 plan. We chatted easily and it helped take my mind off the soul-sucking humidity.

Somewhere in the 7th mile I started to slow and said goodbye to Ms. Tennessee. My ankle started to complain and I wondered if it was going to cooperate with still a half a race to go. I dubbed Mile 9 the “dark mile” – I was hurting, my walk breaks were getting longer, and the negative chatter in my head was getting louder. Once past the mile 9 marker, I was able to shake off the funk – yes my legs were less than happy, yes I was more than ready to be done, but I kept focused on the fact that I would soon hit 10 miles and I haven’t seen double-digits in a while. Finishing is winning!

I’m not going to lie, the final few miles were a trudge – the struggle bus not only caught up with me but was threatening to run me over! Somewhere in the 12th mile, I met up with a woman named Jen. She said she’d been pacing off of me – running when I ran and walking when I walked. We chugged along towards the finish, and as we made the last turn towards the finish I spotted my “Skirt Sisters” – as each ambassador had finished they stuck around to cheer on the rest of the group. Such an awesome sight! Jen and I crossed the line and congratulated each other, I collected my medal and then joined the rest of the ambassadors. As our last Sister approached the finish, some of us went out to run her in. The Wicked Race organizers actually posted a video of our group finish on their Facebook page along with this group photo:

Finishing is winning!

Filed Under: race report, Skirt Sports, Wicked Half Marathon

Harborside Half Training Week 3

September 17, 2017 by Michelle 20 Comments

And just like that, we’re already halfway through the month! It’s Sunday again so I’m joining Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. If you do a weekly training recap, be sure to join this great link-up!

This week was definitely all over the place – it started with my foot wrapped in ice and ended with an LRB.

Monday: Rest day. So how does one end up injured on a rest day? I’m still asking myself that question. One minute I’m pacing around my kitchen on the phone for work and all of the sudden I take a step and I’m hit with a shooting pain in my foot. I’m talking “stop you in your tracks” pain. WTH?! I hobbled the rest of the afternoon and evening but was convinced it would be fine for Tuesday’s run.

Tuesday: No run – in fact, my foot actually hurt more! Again, WTH? So I spent a good bit of the day like this:

Wednesday: Time to get over the mini pity party I was starting to throw for myself. Upper body workout on the Bosu and then a trip to the chiropractor.

My chiro was as baffled as I was by the sudden pain. He did a stress fracture test and then went to work on my foot and ankle. While not fun, my foot felt a lot better afterward. When I told him my plan to run the Wicked Half as an LRB, he gave me the hairy eyeball and let it be known he didn’t love my plan.

Thursday: 3-mile run – the foot was a little sore, but the run gave me hope I might be able to pull off Saturday’s half.

Friday: Rest day. I ran errands, met a friend for lunch, and then headed up to Salem to meet some of the Skirt Sports Ambassadors for a pre-race dinner. This meet-up was so much fun – there was lots of running talk and lots of laughs!

Thanks to Serena for the photo!

Saturday: Wicked Half Marathon – aka, LRB (long run with benefits!) I’ll be doing a separate recap on Tuesday, but I will share that it was 100% humidity, the ankle was done after mile 8, but I completed my main goal of finishing upright and smiling! Half marathon #13 done.

Needless to say, today was a total rest day, and thankfully the ankle’s a little sore but otherwise not too bad.

Talk to me – how was your week?

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap, Wicked Half Marathon

Harborside Week 2 & an Upcoming LRB

September 10, 2017 by Michelle 34 Comments

So week 2 of Harborside training is done and an LRB awaits. What’s an LRB? I’ll explain more but first a brief recap of this past week:
M – Rest day. Spent a great Labor Day touring around Newport with the family!
Tu – 5-mile run
W – Ankle PT and lower body strength work
Th – Yoga
F – 3-mile run
Sa – 9-mile (my longest in months!)
Su – Rest
It was a fairly uneventful week. Saturday’s nine miles was the longest I’ve run in a while – it was not without its ups and downs, especially in the final 2 miles, but I was very happy to see that 9 come across my Garmin!

OK, so what’s an LRB? A long run with benefits!

With the Wicked Half Marathon coming up on Saturday, this is technically “race week”. When I signed up for Wicked my main goal was just to join in on the Skirt Sports Ambassador meet up, run for fun, and finish upright. And, now given my sometimes temperamental ankle, those are still the goals. So the RC coaches want me to treat this as a long run… with benefits. Basically, it will be a 13-mile training run with course support and a medal 🙂 The challenge for me will be to not get swept up in the race atmosphere and try to do more than I should. The plan is to stick with the run:walk intervals, ignore my watch (pace-wise), and just run by feel.

So that said, this will be a pretty routine training week with no special race prep except to try to get a little more sleep-which has been lacking lately.

Have you ever used a race as a training run?

I’m wrapping up another week with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Sara from Sara Runs This Town. If you do a weekly training recap, be sure to join into this great link-up!

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap, Wicked Half Marathon

5 goals for September

September 8, 2017 by Michelle 34 Comments

I figure before this month gets any older I better map out a few goals for the month.

Run 80 miles (at least) — I’d really like to hit 100 this month, but given my ankle’s unpredictable nature I’m hedging my bets a bit.

Re-establish my morning routine — Towards the end of the summer, my workouts were all over the place, essentially jamming them in when I could. I know I’m much better off when I get my workouts done early so that’s the goal.

Return to continuous running — Run:walk intervals have served me well in both dealing with the crazy humidity of this past summer and the cranky ankle, but I’d really like to transition back to continuous running.

Improve my fueling — I could do better here – both pre- and post-run.

Focus on self-care — This comes in many forms…daily rolling, yoga, sports massage, getting more sleep!

Sharing some goals for September for this week's #FridayFive What have you got planned? Share on X

What are your goals for this month?

I’m joining Rachel and Lacey & Meranda for the Friday Five link-up!

Filed Under: Friday Five, goals

Harborside Week 1

September 3, 2017 by Michelle 25 Comments

Week 1 of Harborside Half training is in the books, and I’m happy to say Mother Nature cooperated by sending some fall-like temps my way. So let’s re-cap, shall we?

Monday: Rest Day – Nailed it 😉 Both my husband and I had the day off from work so we took the kids to Kimball Farms for mini golf, bumper boats, arcade games, lunch and some of the best ice cream!

Tuesday: A second day off from work meant more familly time! Covered 4.5 miles hiking with my family and the pup.

Wednesday: 3-mile run and a much-needed sports massage. My massage therapist spent a good deal of time on my left ankle, calf, and knee and urged me to see the chiro soon for more ankle work.

Thursday: Between work and middle school parent orientation, my workout time got squeezed, but I did fit in my ankle PT work.

Friday: Another run – this time for 5 miles.

Saturday: I had planned to get some strength training in, but we ended up needing to go car shopping to replace my husband’s car. It turned into a much longer endeavor than I had expected. The good news is we found a car and got a good deal….but what a long process!

Sunday: 7-mile long run. Ths run was pretty good until it wasn’t – the ankle got cranky around mile 5 and then the mist turned into a downpour. Hello struggle bus!

All in all, not a bad first week. For this upcoming week, I need to make sure that both strength work and yoga happen. I’m also hoping to get that chiropractor visit in.

I’m linking up with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Montana from Pretty Lil Mudder. Please be sure to stop by and show all these ladies some love!

How was your week? Have had a taste of fall temps yet?

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap

Coffee Date – Labor Day Edition

September 2, 2017 by Michelle 23 Comments

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Given how fast this summer has flown by I should not be at all surprised that we have already reached Labor Day weekend and the “unofficial end of summer.” Before I dive into this long weekend, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date link-up. Grab a mug (or an iced coffee) and join me!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’m loving how much my family is embracing running. We went to my favorite running store this week and both my boys and husband walked out with new running shoes – and surprisingly I left with nothing more than salted watermelon GU! What?! Truth be told, my husband bought me the new Saucony Zealots as one of my birthday gifts just a couple of weeks ago.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that while I recently runfessed that I was way off my game getting organized for my boys to return to school, I now have all of their books and I’m blown away by how much we had to spend! Can someone please explain to me how my middle-schooler’s books cost almost as much as my high-schooler’s?!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that my precious puppy is now pushing 70 pounds and he’s not 7 months old yet! While lovable, he’s also a handful and stubborn, so before he gets any bigger we’ve decided to turn him over to our trainer for a 2-week board and train. We drop him off tomorrow – hopefully, he’ll come home more in control.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that we’ve been trying to squeeze as much as possible into these last few days of summer, including trips to the beach, hikes, and hitting some of our favorite summer spots.

In fact, we’re heading to Maine today, and I need to finish this coffee and get the car packed up.

What would you tell me over coffee? If you have a long weekend, do you have any plans?

Filed Under: end of summer, family running, Ultimate coffee date

Kicking off Harborside Training

August 27, 2017 by Michelle 28 Comments

I’m wrapping up another week with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Teresa from Finding Fabulous at Fifty. Please be sure to stop by and show all these ladies some love!

Workouts for me this week were kinda meh. My work schedule continued to be hectic this week as I was finalizing the program launch I’ve been working on. So work, combined with kids being home (no camps this week) = jamming in workouts when I could. There was a lot of PT ankle work, daily planking, and yes, some running. I even squeezed in some speedwork on the mill at the end of a very long Wednesday, but my weekly yoga and cross-training took a backseat.

With today’s 7 mile run I kicked off my training for the Harborside Half! Back in July, I had runfessed that I was looking for a November goal race, in part so I could avoid heavy training in the heat. I also knew that given what was coming up on the family calendar for the fall, November would be quieter. There are a couple of local races I’ve been wanting to check out and have heard some great things about the Harborside Half, so I’m in!

While I have a decent base, the RC Coaches are going to have me start this training cycle with just 3 days of running, a couple of days of cross-training, plus yoga and a rest day. Once we’re sure my ankle’s totally onboard, I’ll probably move up to 4 days of running. I’m not 100% sure what my goals are for this race yet, but I do know that I really want to push myself during this training cycle and see what I can do!

Filed Under: Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap

August Runfessions

August 25, 2017 by Michelle 26 Comments

It’s the last Friday of the month…so you know that means it’s time to join Marcia for runfessions! It’s a chance to cleanse your sweaty sole (like how I did that?) and start the new month fitness fresh! So let’s get to it, shall we?

My running mojo comes and goes like the wind lately, and I runfess that I’ve thought about phoning it in on my September half marathon…I won’t, but I’ve thought about it.

I’ve been really dragging lately, and I runfess that I was so tired on Wednesday that I seriously toyed with the idea of just hiding in my car vs. driving to the gym (I did go to the gym).

I runfess that I’ve not been doing a great job focusing on my recovery. I’ve basically been squeezing in my runs or workouts and then rushing off to the rest of my day. I need to get back to being on consistent speaking terms with my foam roller, and make sure I’m refueling properly.

It's #Runfessions time on the blog today! Join in and share yours! #FridayFive Share on X

On the non-fitness front, I runfess that the start of school is less than two weeks away and I’m so not on top of my game. I may have pulled a late night the other day ordering textbooks so they’d arrive in time and we have no school supplies yet.

And speaking of back-to-school, I runfess that, while I’m totally unprepared, I’m secretly looking forward to the returning to a routine that the fall and school schedule brings.

There…now I feel better! Tell what are you run-fessing?

I’m also joining Rachel and Lacey & Meranda for the Friday Five link-up!

Filed Under: back to school, Friday Five, Runfessions

Weekly Wrap – So Tired

August 20, 2017 by Michelle 37 Comments

This week was uber busy with much going on at both work and home. At work, I’m driving a huge program towards its launch date and also had a major fundraising event. On the home front, we’ve been redecorating my youngest son’s room (going from Red Sox theme to Boston Bruins – yes we love our hometown teams!) and starting to get ready for heading back to school. Put it all together, and I am just so tired!

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: 3-mile run. After Sunday’s pain-free run I was keeping my fingers crossed for this run, and it did not disappoint. I took it slow and easy and the ankle was happy.

Wednesday: Cross-training was planned, but schedules collided and it just didn’t happen. I did manage to squeeze in my PT exercises for my ankle.

Thursday: Yoga day!

Friday: I spent most of the day either traveling to and from the event site or doing event set-up. With 10,700 steps logged I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel about 800-meter repeats, but I didn’t want to miss a run day. So as soon as I got home, I changed and headed straight to the gym so I had the option of hitting the Arc Trainer if I couldn’t finish the repeats. The repeats weren’t pretty, but I got ’em done!

My new fave compression sleeves!

Saturday: Event day – happy to say things ran smoothly, we had a great turnout, and I enjoyed, once again, playing race director. I logged 14,827 steps (that’s 6.58 miles!) and by the time I made the 2-hour drive home to say I was toast would be an understatement!

Sunday: I allowed myself to sleep in before heading out to get another 5 miles in. My legs were so heavy and I quickly adopted the mantra “just a mind set” – I kept telling myself tired was just a mind set and instead tried to enjoy the low humidity (nice change!) and the fact that the ankle was still cooperating. The rest of the day was one of well-earned lazing on the deck.

With the ankle cooperating, I’m going to try to increase my mileage this week. Fingers-crossed!

I’m joining Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap, and this week’s guest host Madhuri.