Friday Five: Things that Make Me Smile

August 15, 2014 by 7 Comments

Linking up with Courtney, Mar and Cynthia again today. DC_linkup

This week is theme-free so I just thought I’d share a few things that made me smile this week.

cool weather The Weather — Most mornings this week have looked like this! Perfect running weather…and unheard of in August!

 

#IceBucketChallenge — It’s been great to see power of social media used for good with the #IceBucketChallenge to wipe out ALS! I’ve been lovin’ the videos in my FB feed (and yes I both dumped and donated) – but nothing made me smile more than watching my boys take the challenge and want to make a donation! Ice Bucket

 

AltrasAltra Intutions — These are quickly becoming my go to shoe for the majority of my runs. I have the 1.5’s and heard rumblings that the 2.0’s are a very different shoe and are bumming out fans of the 1.5’s. So to play it safe, I hunted online and bought another pair of 1.5’s that I’ll just store away for later.

dahliaDahlias in My Garden — These have been a labor of love. I planted them back at the end of May and have been nurturing them along. They finally started to bloom this week!

Beach Time — Was so happy to finally get to see this view this week!

Time at the beach

 

What’s making you smile lately?

Don’t forget to enter my Nuun Energy giveaway!

 

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Filed Under: #IceBucketChallenge, Altra Running, Friday Five, gardening

Nuun Energy Review & Giveaway

August 13, 2014 by 22 Comments

This post and giveaway are sponsored by Nuun. As always, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Since I started my half marathon training plan, I’ve also started testing out different options for fueling my runs. In the past, a big area where I’ve fallen short is hydration. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been getting better with some help from Nuun.

Nuun Energy

Just as I was getting ready to start my half training, Nuun reached out to see if I was interested in testing out their newest product line Nuun Energy – perfect timing! I had tried the original Nuun tablets out a couple of times last summer and found them to be a nice alternative to traditional sports drinks – which my stomach just wants no part of! So why didn’t I stick with them? Pure laziness on my part truthfully – I got so obsessed with trying to figure which gel/Chomp/etc. to use that my hydration plan kinda took a backseat and I went back to just water.

But knowing my hydration needs some extra attention while training in the summer I knew I wanted more than water. Enter Nuun Energy! I’m happy to say that the best things I liked about the original Nuun haven’t been changed – all natural with no added sugars and less than 12 calories. Nuun Energy provides 40 mg. of caffeine and 5 essential B vitamins for more sustained energy. It comes in Wild Berry, Cherry Limeade,  and Lemon-lime — I tried out the last two flavors and was especially fond of the Cherry Limeade.  Overall, it’s light, refreshing and easy on my stomach – a definite win for my workouts! Additionally, I’ve actually taken to drinking it in the late afternoon when I typically start to fade and begin dreaming of iced coffee concoctions!

Ready to try it out for yourself? One lucky reader will win Nuun Energy tablets. The giveaway will run from now until midnight on 8/16. A winner will be announced on Monday, August 18th. Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Filed Under: fave things, giveaways, hydration, Nuun

Training Check-in Week 3

August 12, 2014 by 12 Comments

 

check in

Well thank goodness for Week 3! After a less than stellar Week 2, it was nice to get back on track! There were 19 miles on my plan and I finished with 16 miles – I’ll take it! So here’s how the week played out:

Monday:   Cross-training – 55 minutes on the bike

Tuesday:   4.25 mile run – hot, humid and hilly!

Wednesday:  Pilates Barre  – my usual weekly class. I can never say enough good things about this class – and this week was no different!

Thursday:   Sick kiddo at home led to strength training/leg work at home instead of running.

Friday:   Thursday’s 6 mile tempo run became Friday’s 5.25 tempo – I ended up cutting my cool-down a little short in order to jam some “must do” errands in before the kids got home from camp.

Saturday: 6.5 mile LSD. It was suppose to be 8 but my legs were toast! I knew I was taking a chance doing a tempo run on Friday, but I just didn’t want to miss the workout. I think the other contributing factor was being on my feet Friday evening at the Athleta event.

Sunday: Rest day at the beach!

Overall not a bad week. I was super diligent about rolling, especially post-run and I think it helped – no KT Tape needed!

How did last week go for you?

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Filed Under: half marathon training

Night Out with Athleta

August 11, 2014 by 17 Comments

On Friday night, I attended a VIP shopping event at the Athleta Store in Legacy Place. A group of us met at the store to sip a little wine, nosh on some goodies and, most importantly, check out the new fall line!

We shopped, chatted with the uber-friendly and helpful staff and agonized over which pieces to buy. I had promised myself no” ninja black,” and happily there is no shortage of color in Athleta’s fall line – with an emphasis on a range of blues.

Athleta product shot

After much ooing and ahhing, I finally settled on the Sprint Reversible Stripe Bra, the Crunch Tank, the Ambassador Tank and the Splits Revelation Capri. You can see I embraced the new color scheme! Athleta loot

I love that the clothes feature both wicking and “unstinkable” technology – less stink = less laundry. Athleta also offers a “give-it-a-workout guarantee.” If an item doesn’t perform during your workout, return it! This is my first Athleta wear and I can’t wait to give them a try – I’ll be sure to let you know what I think.

Athleta group shot

All-in-all a lot of fun was had by our whole crew – no one left empty-handed! I have my eye on several other pieces so I’m sure I’ll be back soon. Thanks to the Athleta staff for hosting such a fun evening!

Disclaimer: I received a 30% discount on my purchases at the event. As always, all opinions expressed here are my own.

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Filed Under: Athleta

Friday Five – Race Memories

August 8, 2014 by 25 Comments

Linking up with the fun ladies of the DC Trifecta again this Friday. Today’s theme – Race Memories…so come take a little walk down memory lane with me!

Medals

Boston’s Run to Remember — My first half marathon! Without a doubt, this will go down as one of my all time favorite race experiences! My whole family turned out in force all along the course to support me, and my husband surprised me by ordering matching shirts for everyone. Best cheer squad ever. I smiled the whole race! (Recap HERE)IMG_0717

 

 

 

 

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Philadelphia Half Marathon — This was the first time I’d traveled to a race. I just loved everything about this race experience – as you can see from this picture 🙂 Loved the course and the crowd support — so much so that I’m going back this November! (Recap HERE)

 

ZOOMA Cape Cod Half — What made this race fun was all about the people! I was a race ambassador and the other ambassadors were a great group of ladies to get to know. Also got to meet Sarah & Dimity of Another Mother Runner fame. But best of all it was a fun girls weekend with my running buddy E – we both PR’d and had a blast together! (Recap HERE)

Pre-race+2

The Time I Played Race Director — Yep one of my favorite race memories is of a race I didn’t even run. A couple of years ago I took on the crazy, stressful and very rewarding task of being race director for the local 5K and kids’ fun runs to benefit my sons’ school. I was both thrilled and exhausted by the time the day was done, and I had developed a serious appreciation for all that goes into race planning. A very worthwhile experience and while everyone can’t play race director, I seriously encourage every runner to volunteer at a race at least once! (Recap HERE)

My Son’s 1st 5K — For those of you who’ve been around here for a while I’m sure you’re not surprised to see this one on the list of my top race memories! Nothing better than watching your child push themselves to reach a goal…and being asked to come along for the ride 🙂 (Recap HERE)  picmonkey_image (5)

Be sure to check out the link-up with Cynthia, Courtney & Mar — I’m looking forward to reading about everyone’s memories!

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Filed Under: Boston's Run to Remember, family running, Friday Five, Philly Half, playing race director, race, ZOOMA Cape Cod

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