Weekly Wrap – Training and a 5K

Once again the days are flying by at an alarming rate and October is drawing to a close. As always, I’m joining Holly and Tricia for the #WeeklyWrap link-up. When you’re done here, please visit these two great ladies and all of the other fun bloggers linking up.

Monday: An easy run of 4 miles.

Tuesday: The plan called for 4 miles and I’ve been trying to shift to some late day running to get ready for Vegas. Well, life and family schedules caused me to keep pushing this run later and later and eventually it just didn’t happen. (This is exactly why I’m a morning runner!)

Wednesday: Strength day with Trainer Stacey. Turkish get-ups, deadlifts, bear crawls and lots of core work were all part of the mix.

Thursday:  3-mile tempo intervals. I don’t know where the RC coaches came up with this one! Plan called for two sets of tempo intervals with a 3 min rest, plus warm up and cool down. I’ll just say there was a lot of swearing!

Friday: 4 more easy miles in crazy swirling winds, followed by a much needed sports massage.

Saturday: Just a two mile shakeout run.

Sunday: Canton Fall Classic 5K. I haven’t run a 5K in ages and I forgot just how hard they can be. I also forgot how challenging this course is – mile 2 is just one hill after another. But this is a great local race – it’s always great to see so many of the runners I see out and about every day all running this race. There are also a lot of families running together and it was fun to be out there with my son. He totally smoked me, by the way, but he waited at the finish line and cheered me in (and to be fair, he asked if it was ok before he took off).

Tell me something about your week.

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Runfessions October 2016

A quick check of my past posts shows I haven’t runfessed since July – How is that possible?! What are Runfessions you ask? A fun link-up hosted by Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice where she encourages everyone to share their confessions about your runs, swims or gym time…a chance to cleanse your sweaty soul.

So here we go…

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Runfession #1 — While I do rotate my shoes, more often than not I grab my Saucony Zealots ISO – love this shoe! And the miles have been adding up, so I thought I’d buy a new pair. The reviews on the ISO 2 are a bit of a mixed bag – (why do running shoe companies feel the need to mess with a good thing?!) So I’ve taken to scouring the web in search of the originals. I recently scored a new pair at half the price…I’m tempted to buy more and just hoard them away.

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Runfession #2 — While I am really looking forward to running the #StripatNight in Vegas, my training mojo has gone MIA. The downside of running multiple races over the past couple of months is that I feel like I’ve been following a training plan for a long time…looking forward to just running for a while.

Runfession #3 —  Of course, while I say I’m looking forward to taking a break from training, I’m already starting to map out my 2017 races. (Please tell me I’m not the only one!)

Runfession #4 — I look forward to running Sunday’s 5K with my son, but I confess that I miss the days when I could keep up with him. He’ll be waiting for me at the finish…

Runfession #5 — I miss my gym crazies! In the past I’ve shared stories of some of the more interesting characters/behavior I’ve observed at my gym. Well, of late things have been downright normal…and I must admit I’m bored. Gym crazies definitely help to keep it interesting and pass the time 😉

It's time for #Runfessions! Link up with @teamarcia and share! Share on X

OK so now it’s your turn….what do you run-fess?  Do you hoard shoes?

I’m also joining Rachel from Running on Happy and Lacey & Meranda from Fairytales and Fitness for the new Friday Five link-up! frifive2

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Weekly Wrap – Just a little tired

Happy Sunday all!

I have been enjoying a much needed, and rare, lazy Sunday. This was one of those weeks where I felt like I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It was a week that included feeling less than fabulous, one kid home sick from school, school events, parent teacher conferences, a big work event, and managing the usual shuttling of kids here and there. And, yes there was training mixed in there, too. I am t-i-r-e-d y’all! Today provided a much needed break.

Monday: While I woke up not feeling all that great, I kicked the week off with some early morning miles. – 3 miles done.

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Moon wasn’t ready to head to bed

Tuesday:  The blech I was feeling on Monday got worse and I couldn’t get my head off the pillow for my run. My oldest was also down and stayed home from school. Missed my tempo run and spent the day on the couch.

Wednesday: Strength day – glutes, hips and abs were the focus.

Thursday: Time to get running again – an easy 5K done.

Friday: With a big event for work planned for Saturday, I opted to get my long run done on Friday instead. I’ve been exploring new fueling options and with double digits on tap it seemed like a good time to try Tailwind Nutrition I had ordered last week. The humidity was back with a vengeance (dew point of 85!), but I got 10 miles in, and I’m happy to say Tailwind agreed with my stomach and my energy level felt pretty good…I’m cautiously optimistic.

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I must say it was kinda of nice having my long run out of the way before the weekend got going. We went to a school performance for my youngest son and then it was a quiet evening on the couch 🙂

Saturday: Ran the 4 miles that was originally on my plan for Friday. My legs felt really heavy and 95% humidity didn’t help. There was a flurry of kids activities and sports to shuttle between and I short-changed my post-run rolling. By halfway through the evening event, my legs were really talking back to me! (Didn’t help that I chose to wear heels – what was I thinking?!)

The upcoming week looks to be equally chaotic, and I know I’ve got to do a better job of being kind to my legs. I’ll be running a local 5K with my son next weekend, which should be a lot of fun!

As always, I’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training, life happenings, motivation and encouragement.

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Weekly Wrap – Rest & Recovery

After last weekend’s race, this week was all about rest and recovery.

Monday and Tuesday were all about rest.

Wednesdays are my usual strength day. Trainer Stacy was out of town so I was left on my own – lots of squats, lunges and abs.

The RC coaches wanted to give me as much down time as possible, so Thursday was yet another rest day. I spent some quality time with a lacrosse ball trying to work out some lingering knots.

By Friday, I was itching to run, and was happy to see 5 miles on the plan. Mid-40’s in the morning is perfect running weather in my book and everything about this run felt good!

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The temps on Saturday were even cooler  – I actually had to dig out a pair of gloves for this run. A hilly 6.25 miles with J. Another good run!

Now the week ahead will be the start of upping the mileage to get ready for Vegas! Since I’ll be running the Remix Challenge (5K on the first night and half marathon on the 2nd), the RC coaches will have me running short runs on Fridays before my Saturday long runs.

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Fridays are usually a rest day, but I think this will be good practice for the Remix. I’m also going to try to shift my runs to later in the day to try to get use to Vegas’ late race start times.

Do you shift the time of your runs to match a race?
Any advice for running back-to-back races?

As always, I’m joining Holly and Tricia once again for the #WeeklyWrap link-up. rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpg

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RnR Brooklyn Race Recap

On Saturday I completed my eleventh half marathon, running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon. I took the train into NYC on Friday morning. Packet pick-up was held at the Penn Pavilion which is directly across the street from Penn Station, so grabbing my bib and race shirt was super easy. The space for the expo itself was small and awkwardly configured so after a very quick peak I headed out. It was great to be back in NYC after such a long time and I enjoyed a leisurely walk before grabbing lunch and heading to my hotel to wait for J and the kids, who were driving down after school. Dinner was some very yummy pizza and I did my best to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Sleep was erratic at best, and before I knew it my alarm was going off. I had very little appetite but did my best to force down some food {cue the foreboding music}. J and I walked the little over a mile to the start. The security lines were long, but moving. The same could not be said about the porta potty lines. Finally made my way to the corrals and slipped in where I could. We shuffled along and soon we were off.

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The first 5 K felt great! I spotted J on the first out and back and was right on pace. That good feeling was short-lived, cause by mile 5 I started to feel off  – a headache was brewing.

As it morphed into a full-blown killer headache, I continued to fuel, and tried to press on, focusing on the bands, high-fiving kids, whatever I could do to distract myself…but I was slowing down. When the 2:30 pacer passed me, I was deflated. Now a new mental battle began, and I’ll tell you the internal dialog was not pretty. I could not believe that my race was being derailed by a  f$^&# headache!

The universe sent me just what I needed around mile 8 in the form of Roz and Carla. Roz, a Half Marathon Maniac in the middle of a half marathon double-header, had been encouraging Carla, who was taking on her very first half. Soon we were a threesome – chatting, sharing fueling tips, and most of all supporting and encouraging each other. It was the pick me up I desperately needed.

As we entered Prospect Park and the final hills, I was really hurting – I told Roz and Carla not to wait for me and that I would do what could to keep up with them. They pushed ahead and I just tried to keep them in my sights. I spotted J and he came out to run with me until I had just about a half mile left. I willed myself to the finish and was finally done.

I quickly found Carla and Roz and there were lots of hugs all around. (I truly love how running bonds people!)

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Race swag included a black hoodie for         completing both Philly & Brooklyn!

It was just not my day – this race was not a reflection of my training. So, back to the drawing board I go…

Some final thoughts on the race itself:

  • Overall this was a well organized race, as I’ve come to expect from Rock ‘n’ Roll
  • Bands along the course seemed a little sparse
  • Nice course, especially ending in Prospect Park
  • Post-race food was plentiful
  • Expo was definitely lacking in both layout and vendors
  • Fun medal & race shirt

(Disclosure: As a member of the Rock’n’Blog team, I received a free race entry. As always, all opinions are mine!)

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My Fall Fitness Goals

Happy Friday! And happy long weekend to those who get to celebrate Columbus day!

I’m currently enroute to NYC for the weekend! So while I’m hanging on the Acela I thought I’d share some fall fitness goals.

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Sharing some fall fitness goals for this week's #FridayFive linkup Share on X
  1. Focus on recovery — Since the start of the school year, I’ve been jamming in my runs where I can…which means I haven’t been leaving enough time for proper recovery. Time to get back to rolling, Epsom salt baths, and more time in my compression gear!
  2. Make strength training a priority — The other downside of my tight schedule lately has been that my strength training is taking a backseat. I know if I don’t balance my runs with strength work I’m risking ending up back on injured reserve.
  3. Mix it up — To keep things interesting I want to focus on mixing things up a little. I haven’t done yoga or pilates in a while with any consistency – it would be good to add some back into the routine.
  4. Continue the slow & steady weight loss — I continued to lose a few pounds this summer and now I have just 4 lbs to go on my 2016 goal.
  5. Enjoy some family running – With races planned with my oldest son, husband and brother, there will be lots of opportunities for family runs.

Did you set any fitness goals for the fall?

I’m linking up with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for this week’s #FridayFive. Be sure to stop by and see what everyone’s sharing this week!

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Wrapping up September

OK – is it just me or did September fly by?! I swear one moment it was just Labor Day Weekend and now we’re staring down Columbus Day.  As always, I’m joining Holly and Tricia for the #WeeklyWrap link-up – wrapping up the whole month. When you’re done here, please visit these two great ladies and all of the other bloggers linking up.

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Wrapping up September for this week's #WeeklyWrap Share on X

Good things for the month:

  • RnR Philly! While it was not the race I was hoping for, I am happy to have half #10 under my belt.
  • Continuing to love the strength training!
  • Lots of pain-free runs – the right glute issues I feeling at the beginning of the month disappeared, and dare I say it… most of my runs have been pain free!

Things I could do without:

  • It took most of the month for the humidity to finally relent
  • …did I mention the weather? 😉

On the decks for October:

  • Heading to NYC for RnR Brooklyn this weekend!
  • My oldest son and I just signed up for one of my favorite local races held at the end of the month.
  • Learning how to train for an evening run – this morning runner is not a fan of late day running!

Tell me something good about your September! What are you looking forward to in October?

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Ultimate Coffee Date – October 2016

It is the first Saturday of the month so, of course, that means it’s time for another edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date link-up, hosted by Coco and Deborah. When you’re done here, be sure to check out what the other ladies are dishing about.

The Ultimate Coffee Date

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that October is one of my favorite months of the year. I feel like this is when fall really comes to life – the days are cooler, the leaves turn colors, and its time break out boots and sweaters. Confession I bought a great pair of boots last week that I’m dying to wear 😉 I’m looking forward to apple picking, hiking, celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary, and more fall racing!

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If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m also really looking forward to taking the whole family with me to NYC next weekend for RnR Brooklyn. I lived in NYC for 7 years, and haven’t been back in ages. There’s so much I want to see and do…how am I going to fit it all in?!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that cannot believe that a year ago this time I hadn’t been running for almost two months and was preparing for major surgery. And now, I’m days away from half marathon #11 – what a difference a year makes!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m also so excited to have booked my flights and hotel for Vegas next month! It’s 6 weeks away (yes I’m counting!) – use code ROCKATTITUDE and join me!

So what would you tell me over coffee?  

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The Comparison Challenge

“The most challenging aspect of running right now is__________________.” – this is the prompt posed for this week’s Tuesday on the Run. My most challenging aspect? Not comparing my old runner self to the current one.

After a particularly tough workout recently, I was bemoaning to the RunnersConnect team how paces that “use to be” easy, now are so hard to hit. Everyone was so supportive, but I especially appreciated a note I got from one of the coaches who reminded me to not let comparison – the shoulda’s – take away from the joy of the current journey.

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Past times and past achievements can be a great motivator – it’s why we shoot for PRs. However, if you focus only on comparing the current to the past, you can miss the progress being made.

What is your most challenging about aspect of running? Join in with Erika, Marcia and Patty and share.

 

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Prepping for Brooklyn

The beauty of having another race on the horizon is it forces you to not wallow and to quickly get re-focused (if you missed my Philly recap, you can check it out here). So this week was all about turning my attention to the RnR Brooklyn Half Marathon. As always, I’m joining Holly and Tricia once again for the #WeeklyWrap link-up.

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Monday and Tuesday were all about rest and recovery. There was nothing wilder than lost of stretching, rolling and icing.

Wednesdays are strength days, and I was back in the gym with Trainer Stacy. We went old school with the workout using a weighted sleigh and medicine balls. Hips, glutes and core got a serious workout!

By Thursday, it was time to get back to running. 5 miles, with 3 at steady pace, done. And on Friday, I got 3 more miles in at an easy pace.

The temps on Saturday dropped, and the morning air felt downright chilly. I loved it! My husband J is getting ready for his race next weekend, so he decided to join me. We got an early start so we could get back in time to shuttle our boys to their sports commitments.

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This run felt great! The miles clicked along easily, and we finished 8 miles with plenty of time to spare. The only minor glitch was for some odd reason my stomach was not happy with my usual Honey Stringer Waffle – this is my standard pre-run fuel, so I’m not sure what happened here.

Today was a rest day and I spent the day purging the endless stacks of paper from our home office and trying to find my desk again!

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I’ll be back to four days of running this week and the forecast is showing cool temps. Fall may finally be here!

Have you ever had your stomach reject your routine fuel?

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