Training Check-in: A Week of Shuffling

August 5, 2014 by 15 Comments

Well for as good as Week 1 felt, Week 2 was meh at best! A combination of various family obligations, schedule changes and the hangover effects of dealing with insomnia, left me in a state of constant shuffling last week. Shuffling of workouts to fit them in…and shuffling with tired legs out on the road.

check in

So this is how the week shook out:

Monday:  Needed to push this run to Tuesday.

Tuesday:  Again, needed to push this run till later but was sure I’d get it in. By late afternoon I needed to concede that I was just too damn tired so I skipped the run.

Wednesday:  Weekly Pilates Barre class

Thursday:  4 miles of intervals plus 2 miles warm-up and cool down. Ugly but done.

Friday:   Cross-training on the bike

Saturday:  Needed to leave uber-early to drive to Maine so moved my run to Sunday.

Sunday:  I was exhausted when I started…Was suppose to do 7 but called it quits after 5.8 miles.

Daily:  Core work & rolling

Clearly the mileage suffered…Some weeks you just have to do what you can and move on…last week was one of those weeks!

So the goal of week #3 is simply to get back on track!

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Filed Under: crazy week, half marathon training, Schedule vs Training

Ultimate Coffee Date – August

August 2, 2014 by 22 Comments

This morning I’m happy to be linking up once again with Jill, Nikki and Lynda for the Ultimate Coffee Date. I missed the last two Coffee Dates thanks to vacation in June and the 4th holiday weekend, but I’m so glad we could catch up for a cup this morning!

coffeedate

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I cannot believe how fast July flew by! It was a great month filled with lots of time spent with friends and family – I’m looking forward to August bringing more of the same!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you after eyeing the Nike Studio Wraps online I was very happy to find these at a Nike outlet for a fraction of the cost! Can’t wait to try them out in Wednesday’s Pilates Barre class. Studio Wrap

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. Unfortunately, I go through bouts of insomnia from time to time. I have no problem crashing at night, just can’t stay asleep. Thank goodness for coffee 😉

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that we’re in the middle of a flurry of family birthdays. We celebrated my youngest’s son’s birthday at the Red Sox game last week. My birthday is Monday, my oldest son’s is later this week and then my husband J’s is a little later this month!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that we’re driving to Maine today to look at a potential sleep-away camp for my oldest son for next summer. I will admit that the thought of a sleep-away camp unnerves me just a little – I remind myself that we’re just looking.

In fact, I’m sorry to cut our coffee time short, but I need to get everyone organized so we can get on the road!

If we were having coffee together what would you tell me?

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Filed Under: Ultimate coffee date

Thursday Thoughts – Gym Crazies Edition

July 31, 2014 by 17 Comments

So for some reason I convinced myself that I would be well-served to run my cruise intervals on the mill this morning – maybe because I’ve been frustrated with my pacing lately…maybe the insomnia I’ve been battling lately had caught up with me and I just wasn’t thinking clearly! In any event, I headed to my gym this morning to hit the treadmill.

And, as is so often the case… I entered into the another episode of Gym Crazies. Here’s a sample of today’s cast:

First there was Sprinting Man – this guy insisted on sprinting around the indoor track with little concern for those around him. Add to that the fact that it takes 16 laps to make one mile and you can understand my wonder at how he was banking those turns without hitting a wall!

Then there was Phone Guy – this is the guy, who despite the fact that most of the treadmills were empty, chooses the one between me and another woman and then proceeded to brake out the phone. He tried to run and talk (loudly) until he lost his balance, dropped the phone and it went shooting off the back of the mill…towards the track I might add, but he missed Sprinting Man!

Then finally, there was The Greeter – this woman seemed determined to keep a furious pace on the treadmill despite holding on to the rails for dear life. And, while trying to keep this up she insisted on greeting or rather yelling hello to everyone she knew coming up the stairs – I swear she seemed to know half the gym!

Seriously?! All I can say is I’ll be looking for the full moon tonight! Full-Moon

Please tell me you’ve got your share of crazies at your gym.

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Filed Under: 3 things, gym crazies

Training Check-in – Week 1 Done

July 28, 2014 by 13 Comments

check in

Yep it’s the return of my Training Check-ins!

 

I’m once again working with Coach Bennett of IAWR and this time around he’s created an 18-week plan leading up to the Philadelphia Half Marathon. This is probably the longest training plan I’ve done, but with my hip happy again I’m glad to have the time to build the miles gradually.

So how did week 1 go?

Monday — I woke up with my left IT feeling super tight  – actually I had gone to bed that way and a night’s rest did little for it! So I swapped with Tuesday’s cardio cross-training and headed to the gym to hit the bike followed by some serious rolling and a little yoga.

Tuesday — Humidity was back with a vengeance and juggling family schedules pushed my run to the late afternoon but I squeezed 3.5 miles in!

Wednesday — My favorite Pilates Barre class. There were only 3 of us in class this week which lead to some extra torture… attention from our instructor 🙂

Thursday — Tempo run +humidity = uggh, but 4 miles done!

Friday — Yoga
Running with KTSaturday —  With a little help from my running partner KT Tape, 5.5 done. My left leg felt great and I diligently rolled, iced and spent time in my compression sleeves post-run.

Sunday — Rest Day

All-in-all it was a good first week!

How’d your week go?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Friday Five: Half Marathon Training Goals

July 25, 2014 by 17 Comments

Linking up with Mar, Cynthia and Courtney again today. This week’s theme is “goals” and given that I just started my half marathon training this week it seems the perfect time to share my goals for this training cycle.

training goals

 

Don’t Miss a Workout! — Goal number 1 is to complete all of my workouts. Scheduling can get a little crazy in the summer when the kids are home, but that just means I need to get creative to stay on my plan (Hello 5:30 a.m. runs!).

Get Stronger —  This ties in directly with Goal #1. I’ve got a fair amount of cross-training built into my plan, plus specific strength exercises to keep my hip happy. I will also continue with my beloved Barre class and adding in some TRX as well.

Fuel Properly — While summer eating naturally lends itself towards lots of fruits and veggies and meals from the grill, I know I could still focus better on my nutrition – especially pre- and post-run. Doing so should also help me return to “fighting weight” which is about 6 lbs lighter than I am now.

Recover Right — Sometimes because scheduling gets a little hectic things like post-run rolling, re-fueling and donning of compression gear gets pushed to the back burner in favor of moving on with the day – however I pay for it later and on my next run…so that can’t happen!

Remember My “Why” — The mental side of training is just as important as the miles I log. After not having the Spring I had hoped for from a running/racing perspective, I will be working hard to keep negative talk and doubt from creeping in. During tough runs it will be important to remember why I’m out there.

 

Have you set any new goals for the rest of the year?

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Filed Under: Friday Five, goals, half marathon training

Monday Motivation: Training Plan Kick Off

July 21, 2014 by 7 Comments

 

Armstrong quote

Training for the Smuttynose Rockfest and Philadelphia Half officially kicks off today! I came across this quote the other day and it struck a cord with me for how I want to approach this training cycle – so much so that I have it taped to my mirror as a friendly reminder for those mornings when doubt starts to creep in and the motivation is low.

Here we go!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Friday Five: Some Summer Faves

July 18, 2014 by 9 Comments

Hello Friday!

Seriously these weeks are flying by – hard to believe we’re more than half way through July already!

I’m linking up again with Courtney, Mar and Cynthia (aka the DC Trifecta) for my Friday Five. This week’s theme is “Friday Favorites,” so I thought I’d share a few things I’m loving right now.

 

pineapple bars

source: Outshinesnacks.com

Pineapple Outshine Fruit Bars: I am seriously addicted to these things! They’re a mere 80 calories, ooze pineapple goodness and are the perfect refreshing treat on a summer afternoon.

 

Lazy Dinners on the Deck: Dinners on our deck are truly one of my favorite things about the summer. The meals are slow and easy, tunes are quietly playing in the background, and no one is in a rush to go anywhere.

House_of_Cards_title_cardHouse of Cards: OK I may be late to the party on this one, but we just re-joined Netflix this week and J and I are hooked on this show!

New Recipes: With the abundance of fresh produce at this time of year I’ve been playing with some new recipes. Currently I’m perfecting my peach salsa.

Family Running: This month I have been enjoying getting in some family runs. At my chiro’s urging I have been logging some miles at the track to keep my healing hip happy. It’s been a great spot to run with this little guy 🙂

Track time

 

What are you loving right now?

DC_linkup

 

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Filed Under: fave things, Friday Five

A friendly reminder…

July 15, 2014 by 3 Comments

 

Fall PRs

Just a little reminder for myself and everyone else training this summer!

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Filed Under: motivation, Summer running, training

My fall race schedule

July 11, 2014 by 5 Comments

fall running

After mentioning that I was getting ready to start my fall training soon, I got several emails and twitter inquiries about which races I was doing – so I thought I’d share my fall race schedule here!

October:

Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon — advertised as “flat and fast” with beer and lobster rolls served at the post race party – what’s not to love? This one’s been on my N.E. must-run list for a while.

Tufts 10K — This one’s going to be a “wait and see” since it’s a week after Smuttynose – but I love this event and I haven’t run it in a couple of years. There are always a few friends running so I’m going to try to keep this day open and if the legs feel go enough I can always register on race day.

Canton Fall Classic — The starting line is literally 2 miles from my house and the course covers streets I run on a regular basis. It’s a great local race and it’s always fun to see so many familiar faces!

November:

Philadelphia Half Marathon — I ran Philly in 2011 and by half way through the race I knew I wanted to come back (you can check out the recap HERE)! I loved the course, the great crowd support and the 3+ minute PR I snagged — I’m hoping lightening will strike twice as this is my goal race of the fall.

December:

I’m sure there will be some fun 5K requiring Santa garb 🙂

I’d like to slip in something during September to kind of track how my training’s going – but I’m going to wait to see what Coach Bennett has to say on that.

The fall should be a lot of fun – can’t wait!

What have you got planned?

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Filed Under: Canton Fall Classic, fall racing, half marathon training, Philly Half, race calendar, Smuttynose Rockfest, Tufts 10k

Transitioning to Training

July 7, 2014 by 20 Comments

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Mine was spent eating a lot of great food, lazing on the deck and enjoying some great family time – even got some family runs in 🙂

change ahead

But now it’s Monday…and time for me to start to make the transition towards training.

Time to start being more mindful of my eating…to building up my cardio…to getting more sleep…to wrapping my head around being on a training plan again.

I ran a mile trial this weekend to benchmark where I am…and oh my, let’s just say there’s work to be done! But that’s OK. There’s still a couple of weeks before Coach Bennett sends me my Philly training plan and I know I will be ready to take on whatever he sends my way (someone please reminds in a few weeks that I said that, ok!)

Let the transition begin!

Have you started your fall training yet?

 

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Filed Under: training, Uncategorized