Ultimate Coffee – Labor Day Edition

September 3, 2016 by 14 Comments

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

My long run is done and I’m very happy to kick back on my deck and enjoy an iced coffee. 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 while training has been going fairly well, after looking at my fall race plans with the RC coaches, we’ve decided to make RnR Brooklyn my goal race instead of RnR Philly. Gives me the chance to use Philly as a tune up which feels right to me, especially since it’s been 2 years since I’ve run a half.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that my boys start school next week and I’m excited for all the madness to come! My oldest will be starting high school and my “baby” will be heading into 5th grade. Someone please make the clock slow down!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that while I love the start of school as an opportunity to reset for the fall, I’m nervous about how I’m going to fit in these final high mileage weeks of training. Hello o’dark thirty!

Bugs in the am

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m in the market for a new laptop. My current one has decided it doesn’t want to type the letter “e” any more. Seriously, I have to practically bang on the key. You never realize how many words have the letter “e” until something like this. The laptop has been showing it’s age for a while, but this is the final straw! Any suggestions?

So what would you tell me over coffee?  What have you got planned for this long weekend?

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Filed Under: back to school, training, Ultimate coffee date

Reflecting on Summer Fitness Goals

September 2, 2016 by 26 Comments

With Labor day weekend marking the unofficial end of summer, it seemed like a good time to check in on my summer fitness goals and see how I did.

Fitness goal check in

Back in June, I set 5 goals for the summer:

Checking in on my summer fitness goals for this week's #FridayFive Share on X
  1. Embrace the plan — Check! I started the summer very excited to be working with the coaches from RunnersConnect, and I’m happy to say that they have not disappointed. There’s been the occasional deviation here and there (hello soul-sucking humidity!), but for the most part I’ve stuck with my training plan.
  2. Family running — I got to celebrate my youngest son’s first 5K and my husband joined me for all of my weekend long runs!
  3. Enjoy the outdoors — While I didn’t make it to the tennis courts or kayaking as I had hoped, I did get some hiking in, and the family definitely made the most of our time in the White Mountains.
  4. Continue the slow & steady weight loss — I’m finishing the summer a few pounds lighter than when I started, so this is absolutely a win!
  5. Keep getting stronger — Another check! I faithfully stuck to my strength training thanks in large part to working out with Trainer Stacy. It’s no coincidence that staying focused on strength work has helped keep me relatively injury-free this summer.

I’d say I did a pretty good job on my goals for this summer! Now I’m more than ready for the temps to cool down and enjoying some fall racing 🙂

For this week’s #FridayFive, Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia are talking about all things Fitness.

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Did you set any summer goals?

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Filed Under: Friday Five, goals

Weekly Wrap – Feeling Recharged

August 29, 2016 by 16 Comments

Happy Monday!

I’m back from a fun family get-away in the White Mountains. This vacation came at a perfect time as I was really starting to feel fried. We celebrated my husband’s birthday, rode the Cog Railroad to the top of Mount Washington, explored glacier caves, zip lined (is that a verb?), and hit the alpine slides and coasters…just to name a few. We came home tired and happy.

I did my best to keep up with my workouts and for the most part it went pretty well. I’m linking up again with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Be sure to check out these great ladies and all of the other fun bloggers joining in.
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Monday, 8/22:  A much needed rest day.

Tuesday, 8/23: I was hoping to make up for Sunday’s long run, but my tired legs had other ideas. I knew before I left the house that 10 miles was not going to happen, and for half a second I toyed with skipping the run altogether. But it was a rare morning in the low 70s – too nice to miss out on, so I got a solid 5 done.

Wednesday, 8/24: Cross-training in the form of climbing around Mt. Washington

Top of Washington

The amazing view from the top of Mt. Washington

Thursday, 8/25: Hill work was on the plan so I headed to the base of Loon Mountain and found a perfect access road for hill repeats.  5 more miles done.

Friday, 8/26:  More play time with the family!

Saturday, 8/27:  10.5 miles – this was one of the toughest runs I’ve had in a long time. My stomach went south almost immediately – I have no idea why since I didn’t deviate from my usual foods. I was ok for the first 5 miles, but then the wheels completely fell off the wagon. Angry stomach and intense sun = one ugly run.

Sunday, 8/28: Rest day.

How was your week? Do you workout on vacation or just hang out?

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Filed Under: half marathon training, vacation, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Can I get a Do-Over?

August 21, 2016 by 12 Comments

You ever have those weeks where you just wish you could hit the re-wind button? Last week was one where I just felt like I had too many balls in the air…and quite honestly I should have put a few of them down, and for my own sanity, said no a little more often. Ah well…lesson learned.

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But before I put the week squarely in my rearview mirror, I’m linking up again with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap.

Monday, 8/15: For some reason I just could not get my face out of the pillow, so I pushed my run to later in the day…then life happened and the run didn’t.

Tuesday, 8/16: Still feeling a little on the tired side, I swapped my Tuesday track work with Thursday’s run. 5 miles done.

Wednesday, 8/17: Strength day with Trainer Stacey! Had my first ever workout with Kettlebells – it was challenging and I loved every minute of it.

Thursday, 8/18:  I was seriously feeling the previous day’s kettlebell session as I headed to the track, and I kinda knew this workout might not go as planned. After two weeks of successful workouts with 400 and 800 meter repeats, I was quickly reminded that 1600 meter repeats are a whole other beast. 4 miles done, but man oh man did I struggle…

Friday, 8/19: I spent most of the day working to set up a big multisport event that serves as a fundraiser for the non-profit I work with.

Saturday, 8/20: Event day – up at 3 am and onsite by 5…according to my FitBit I covered over 6 miles as I ran and walked back and forth along the course – we were short volunteers so there was never a moment of downtime. I finally returned home almost 12 hours later.

Sunday, 8/21:  10 miles was on the plan, but after the past two days it should have been no surprise that my legs…in fact my whole body was toast. There was no way I was going to make it through double digits, so I just went out to see what my legs would give me. I managed to eek out a solid 5 miles and was grateful for that. I huddled with the RC coaches later in the day and will give the 10 miler another shot on Tuesday.

So somehow I managed to get 20 miles in this week, and given all I was juggling I’ll take it. Luckily, the family is escaping to the White Mountains for a little R&R this week so things should be calmer!

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Filed Under: crazy week, training, Weekly Wrap

RnR Philly Week 7 – Returning to Double Digits

August 14, 2016 by 22 Comments

This has been a crazy blur of a week! And, why is it that returning to work after an extended long weekend turns into such madness?!

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In any event…week 7 is in the books, and the highlight of this training week was a return to double digit runs!

Monday, 8/8: C-r-a-z-y day! Planned run did not happen, but I did manage a short core workout.

Tuesday, 8/9:  Week 2 of Track Tuesdays — this time it was 800 meter repeats, plus warm up and cool down. Good lawd these were much harder than last week. The first repeat was off target and too slow, but I settled in and banged out the next 4 right on pace – 4.5 miles done.

Wednesday, 8/10: Strength day.

Thursday, 8/11:  5 miles.  Despite trying to set out as early as possible, there was no escaping the oppressive humidity.

Friday, 8/12: Rest day. Scorching heat/humidity combo continued and I spent the day hiding in the a/c and trying to hydrate.

Saturday, 8/13: The weather gods threw me a bone as I awoke to cloudy skies, and there was even the occasional cool-ish breeze. Even though weeks ago my husband J had declared he’d only run with me up to double digits, he decided to come with me – it was nice to have the company! The rolling hills started to do a number on my legs – making the last 3 miles all mental. But we did it and returned to the land of double digits! Yay!

Rolling 10

307.7 elevation gain

Sunday, 8/7:  The heat advisory returned with temps reaching 96 and the “feels like” hitting 100. Yeah…no thanks. Rest Day – lots of rolling and stretching, and watching the Olympics! Great to see the American women all finish in the top 10 for the marathon.

rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpgI’m linking up again with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap.

How was your week? Are you as obsessed with the Olympics as I am – can’t get enough!

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RnR Philly Week 6 – Enjoying the Cutback

August 7, 2016 by 6 Comments

Hard to believe last week marked the half way point in training for RnR Philly. It was also my birthday week and my husband J planned a great birthday getaway to one of our favorite inns in the White Mountains. So it was perfect timing to see that the RC coaches had a cutback week on the training plan.

Monday, 8/1: Strength Day

Tuesday, 8/2:  Track workout — 400 meter repeats, plus warm up and cool down – 3.25 miles

Wednesday, 8/3: You know how crazed work becomes right before you take a few days off…yeah well that was this day! Yoga was necessary!

Thursday, 8/4:  Day off so I slept in until almost 9 (What?!?) and then got in 4 easy birthday miles, before a much needed mani/pedi – the hot stone leg message was the highlight!

Friday, 8/5: I swapped Saturday’s LSD to today and got it in super early before we left town. I ran 6.5 miles, and probably faster than I should have, but it was a picture perfect morning…and I was ready to head out of town 🙂

Saturday, 8/6: 4.25 miles of hiking. I thought it would have been cooler in the mountains, but surprisingly, not so much. But the scenery was beautiful and worth it.

White Mtns

Sunday, 8/7:  Rest Day

The inn we stayed in serves the biggest country breakfasts and amazing 5 course dinners – and we indulged to the fullest! It was a great weekend and now I’m having a hard time getting back to reality 🙂

rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpgSo that’s my #WeeklyWrap! As always, big thanks to Holly and Tricia for hosting this linkup! By the way this wonderful linkup is celebrating its own birthday so be sure to stop by and see what this great group of bloggers are up to.

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Filed Under: birthday celebrations, half marathon training, RnRPhilly, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – July Rewind

August 1, 2016 by 9 Comments

And just like that another month comes to a close! As always, I’m joining Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap – just 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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Good things for the month:

  • Kicked off training for RnR Philly! On the whole I’m really happy with how things are going and to see the mileage building.
  • Family running – especially seeing my youngest son complete his first 5K! It’s also been great to have my husband keeping me company on my long runs.
  • Rocking the strength training!
  • On the non-fitness side of things – it’s been a fun month of catching up with friends!

Things I could do without:

  • Mother Nature’s relentless hot flashes!
  • The flare up in my left tibia head and anterior tibialis – it slowed me down for a couple of days, but I’m feeling like I’ve got a handle on it now.

On the decks for August:

  • Double-digit LSDs – time to return to the land of double digit long runs. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in this neighborhood.
  • A couple of mini vacations! My husband is taking me away for my birthday this weekend and the whole family is getting a few days away later in the month.

Tell me something good about your July.

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Filed Under: month in review, Weekly Wrap

Friday Five: July Runfessions

July 29, 2016 by 16 Comments

We’re at the end of another month (How is that possible?!?!), which means it’s time for the July edition of Runfessions – a chance to share your confessions about your runs, swims or gym time. Link up with Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice and join us!

Runfession #1 — OK let’s just get this one out of the way…the heat and humidity have been relentless and I am so done! Sadly, we haven’t even reached August yet.

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Runfession #2 — Needless to say that this heat is really testing my mental game. I think I need to find a mantra to focus on when things get tough…might be better than cursing like a sailor which I’ve been known to do lately. I’ve been trying out a couple of phrases but nothing’s caught on yet.

Runfession #3 — I may have scolded a man at the track yesterday. Bad enough he was pushing a stroller on the track, but for some unknown reason, he made a u-turn in the middle of his lap and decided to head the wrong way and in my lane. Seriously?! The only thing that kept me from letting lose a curse word or two is that he did have a child with him.

Runfession #4 — Remember my eavesdropper from the gym? Well I spied her the other day and I’m happy to report that she finally got a trainer of her own. I must admit it took some self-control to not go over and hover while she was working out 😉

Runfession #5 — And speaking of the gym, I must confess I felt a little bada$$ the other day when I finished my strength session with Trainer Stacey and caught the looks of surprise on a couple of the high school guys working out nearby. They clearly didn’t think someone their mother’s age could haul so weights!

rp_Runfessions-300x294-300x294-300x294.jpg OK so now it’s your turn….what do you run-fess?  Do you use mantras?

 

 

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I’m also joining Courtney, Mar and Cynthia for the Friday Five

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Filed Under: Friday Five, Runfessions

RnR Philly Training Week 4

July 24, 2016 by 21 Comments

Happy Sunday all!

Just checking in for a brief recap on Week 4 on the road to Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly….

Monday, 7/18: Rest Day

Tuesday, 7/19:  Rest Day

Wednesday, 7/20: Woke to a rare cool – ish morning. After two full days of nothing more than icing and rolling I was itching for a run. Seemed like the perfect time to run my Guitar Solo Virtual 5K! I drove to one of the flattest streets near home and busted out 3.1. No leg pain certainly called for a little post-run air guitar 🙂

Air guitar

Thursday, 7/21:  Cross-training = 40 minutes on the Arc Trainer

Friday, 7/22: Rest Day.

Saturday, 7/23: 8.2 miles. It was 75 degrees with 93% humidity when I checked the weather just before heading out. Note to self…sometimes ignorance is bliss! I was holding together relatively well until somewhere in the middle of mile 6. Then the struggle bus pulled up and I hopped on board. I’m grateful my husband J had decided to run with me, and at his suggestion we switched to a 2:1 run walk for the final two miles. Mentally, it got a lot easier to run when I knew it was only for short bursts.

Sunday, 7/24:  Strength day – lower body focus

So just 11.3 miles this week. But thanks to sticking to the plan of rest, rolling and icing – plus a trip to my massage therapist, they were pain free miles – so that’s a big win in my book! The RC coaches have revised my training plan and assure me I still have plenty of time, and I know they’re right. This week I’ll be aiming to return to at least 3 days of running, plus 2 strength workouts.

So that’s my #WeeklyWrap! Thanks to Holly and Tricia for hosting this linkup!

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Filed Under: #261BeFearless, half marathon training, RnRPhilly, Weekly Wrap

RnR Philly Training Week 3

July 17, 2016 by 24 Comments

While my goal this week was to ramp up the mileage, the nagging discomfort in left leg, quickly made it clear that I needed to play it smart and go easy on the running for another week. So how did things go?

Monday, 7/11: Strength day

Tuesday, 7/12:  3 easy miles, plus squats (the challenge continues).

Wednesday, 7/13: Strength session with Trainer Stacey. Wednesdays have really become my fave workout day of the week lately.

Thursday, 7/14:  An unscheduled rest day. I woke up just feeling really off and it never got better, so I passed on my 6 mile cutdown run and skipped the squats.

Friday, 7/15: 4 miles on the mill – I just was not up for dealing with the oppressive heat, so off to the gym I went. Oh, yes and there were squats.

Saturday, 7/16: Rest day scheduled. It was parents’ visiting day at my son’s overnight camp so this “rest” day included 4.5 miles of walking and hiking the trails in and around the camp.

Sunday, 7/17:  8 miles scheduled – 5 miles done. Saturday’s camp fun followed by a 3+ hour drive home left me feeling pretty beat up Saturday night. I should have rolled, but instead I crashed on the couch and caught up on House of Cards. When the alarm went off Sunday morning, my legs already felt tired. The nagging pain in my left leg returned in the 4th mile, and as I reached mile 5 I knew it was better to listen to my body and stop. I walked another mile until my husband came by to pick me up.

What’s so annoying about the left leg is it only gets aggravated on hills…and it’s practically impossible to run in my town without encountering a hill.

Hills 2

Icing and rolling does help – so guess what I’ll be doing this week?! I’m also headed to the massage therapist – always a good thing! The RC coaches are tweaking my plan (there will be no hill repeats, as originally planned), and I’ll give 8 miles another go next weekend.

So that’s my #WeeklyWrap! Thanks to Holly and Tricia for hosting this linkup!

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Filed Under: left knee, RnRPhilly, training, Weekly Wrap