One Last Race and #OneSmallChange

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a great day in the RWA household – lots of food, drink and laughter – the perfect combination!

miles_for_melanoma_logo_website_v2 (1)-1On Christmas Eve morning I ran my final race of #13in2013 – the Miles for Melanoma 5K virtual run. The streets were quiet and it was a great way to steal a few peaceful minutes for myself before all the holiday festivities got underway. A lingering head cold made this a bit of a slug pace-wise; but, after not getting many runs in lately, I was just happy to out on the road and supporting a great cause.

smchange buttonIn other news – it’s week 12 of the #OneSmallChange Challenge! For the past 11 weeks I’ve been joining with others to make small changes each week. You can check out weeks 1 – 11 HERE. This has been a great challenge and I’m really happy with some of the habits that I’ve adopted. For the final week, I’m taking a page from Marcia, (creator of the Challenge), and focusing on some much needed self-care. I’m overdue to book a check-up, the dentist, a mammogram, haircut….you get the idea. So I’ll be taking some time to book a bunch of appointments and start 2014 off on the right foot. First up this afternoon – a massage!

Are you good about booking appointments for yourself or are you last on your to do list?

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2014 Race Calendar Taking Shape

While not complete yet, my 2014 race calendar is starting to take shape. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Super Sunday 5 Miler (2/2)

Winter Warlock 10K or Frozen Pilgrim 10K (2/16)

Black Cat 10 Miler (3/1)

B.A.A. 5K (4/19)

Newport 10 Miler (4/27)

Boston’s Run to Remember 5 Miler (5/25)

Runner’s World Heartbreak Half Marathon (6/8)

Boston 13.1 (9/14) or Newport Half Marathon (10/12)

Tufts 10K (10/13) – if I don’t run the Newport Half

Canton Fall Classic (10/26)

Richmond Half Marathon (11/15) or Philadelphia Half Marathon (11/23)

This would be potentially 11 races towards my #14in2014 goal. I think I’d like to add the BAA 10K again – it was warmer than I would have liked but there’s the possibility that they’re going to move this race from the end of June…the question is when?

I’m happy to have a couple of 10 milers planned, and I’ve never done a 5 mile race so it will be fun to do a new distance! Another big change for the upcoming year is no spring “goal” half marathon. While the Runner’s World Heartbreak Half in June should be a lot of fun, I know those Newton hills all too well – I will not be looking for a PR. Instead I’ll be looking to shave some time off my 10-mile time at Newport. The goal half marathon will wait until the fall – decision on which race to come later.

Have you picked your 2014 races?

 

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#OneSmallChange Week 11

smchange buttonIt’s Week 11 of the One Small Change Challenge! This has been a great challenge – some of the changes have definitely been easier to stay on top of than others. Here’s what I’ve taken on so far:

Week 1 – Daily plank routine

Week 2 – Keep my often-cluttered coffee table clutter-free

Week 3 – Increase my daily water intake

Week 4 – On hold

Week 5 – Daily rolling of my very tight quads and hamstrings

Week 6 – Take time each morning to set my plan/intentions for the day

Week 7 – Plan my strength-training workouts

Week 8 –  On hold to re-group

Week 9 – Meal planning

Week 10 – Eliminate late afternoon snacking

I was helped a lot with week 10 by grabbing a mug of green tea in the afternoon – it helped me to slow down and be more mindful and stop picking at my sons’ snacks while helping with homework.

So now for week 11 – Turn off the electronics at night. I’ve gotten into the habit of being on my laptop/iPad/phone way too late into the evening – that much screen time makes it tough to wind down. So the goal this week is to unplug earlier and get some much needed sleep!

Do you find you’re “plugged in” late into the night or are you good about turning your electronics off? 

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Monday Re-set

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This is what my schedule felt like last week! It seemed like a raced through my days ticking off items from the never-ending To Do list – I swear it felt like the “busy elves” were adding items as fast as I was eliminating them. But I was managing to keep some sense of balance and still get some workout time in for myself.

That is….until this weekend. The combination of Christmas gift shopping, house decorating, holiday parties, snow/ice storm and helping my son with the sea turtle project from hell (OK I may be exaggerating a smidge but if  I don’t hear about sea turtles for a while, I’m good with that!) all proved to be my un-doing! I missed my long run Saturday morning – I kept telling myself that I’d fit it in later…yeah well, didn’t happen. In fact, there was minimal working out of any kind.

And while I’m feeling less than fabulous this morning, I’m not going to beat myself up over it. Time to hit the re-set button and commit to a better…more balanced week!

So how was your weekend? Are you keeping up with your workouts/runs?

 

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Year in Running – 2013

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Amanda aka Miss Zippy recently did her annual post looking back on her year in running and invited us to link up and do the same. So here are my answers to her questions:

Best race experience?

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Without a doubt running with my son for his first 5K!

Best run?

I always enjoy my long runs with my running buddy E – even the ugliest of runs is better with a friend 🙂

Best new piece of gear?

I bought a couple of YMX’s fabulous tanks and they became instant race favorites!

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Best piece of running advice you received?

To keep a long-term view. In a variety of ways Coach Bennett has reminded me to not let one race define me and the importance of taking a long-term view of both running and racing goals.

Most Inspirational Runner?

I draw inspiration from so many runners I could never pick just one! I am inspired by those who step outside of their comfort zones; by those who dream big and dare to go after those dreams; by those who come up short on their goals, but never give up; by those who are motivated to become a better version of themselves.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” — This was definitely a roller coaster year for my running – challenging in many ways. But I have learned a lot about running and myself and I can’t wait to see what I can do in 2014!

Now it’s your turn – how would answer any of these questions?

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Choosing Goal Races

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I’ve been pouring over race options lately trying to figure out a plan for 2014. Thanks to GI issues and a tumble that left me seriously hobbled, I came up short in my goal races and there were no PRs this year. While I don’t have all my goals figured out for next year, I am clear on one thing, I’ll be gunning for some personal bests!

Obviously there are lots of factors that can play a role in whether you snag a shiny new PR on race day – some you can control and some you can’t. In talking with Coach Bennett, who I’ll be working with again for my goal race, he urged me to pay much more attention to the course when choosing the race. While that may sound obvious to some, I’ll admit the course map has rarely factored into my races choices before. And while yes my current half marathon PR was earned on the Newton hills, it does make me wonder what kind of time I could put down on a more forgiving course!

So many things to consider: the timing of races (especially in light of family commitments and a goal to go after #14in2014); local vs destination, and now the course map — decisions, decisions!

How do you pick your races?

Do you have your 2014 races figured out yet?

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#OneSmallChange Week 9

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Believe it or not we’re going into week 9 of the One Small Change Challenge!

Thanks to the challenge thrown down by Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice, I’ve been trying to make small changes that will hopefully turn into some good habits. So far my changes have included:

Week 1 – Daily plank routine

Week 2 – Keep my often-cluttered coffee table clutter-free

Week 3 – Increase my daily water intake

Week 4 – Repeated Wk 3

Week 5 – Daily rolling of my very tight quads and hamstrings

Week 6 – Take time each morning to set my plan/intentions for the day

Week 7 – Plan my strength-training workouts

When I got to week 8 last week I decided it was time to re-group. While some of my small changes were clicking along, others were not — my coffee table was drowning in an explosion of holiday catalogs and the daily rolling had dwindled to nothing. So instead of trying to pile on another change, I used week 8 to get back on track.

Moving on to Week 9, I’m once again sticking with my planning theme and focusing on meal planning. Last minute decisions on what to eat can sometimes lead to less than healthy choices. With the hectic schedule of the next couple of weeks heading into Christmas it’s going to be especially important to have meals planned out.

Do you plan your meals?

What changes have you made lately?

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Preparing for Cold Weather Running

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It was 19 degrees when I headed out for Saturday’s run – 9 with the wind chill factor! Yeah winter running is officially here, so it’s a good time to assess your cold weather running gear. Essentially, running outdoors in cold temps can best be summed up in one word – layering!

Layering your upper body, especially your core, will help to trap your body heat while protecting you against the elements. At a minimum you’ll want to consider three layers: a base layer, an insulating layer and an outer layer.

The base layer should be made of a wicking material to wick sweat and moisture away from your body to keep your skin warm and dry. There are a great range of wicking materials on the market today in the form of silk, DryFit and Thinsulate, just to name a few. Just please make sure to not use cotton for your base layer – cotton does not have any sweat wicking properties so once it gets wet it stays wet. Not what you want to have next to your skin.

The second layer, or insulating layer, should also have some wicking ability, but its main job is to help trap your body heat. Performance fleeces such as Polartec, Thermax or Microfleece do a great job of keeping in the heat without adding bulk or risking overheating. Depending on the weather and your tolerance for the cold, you may want to use more than one insulating layer.

Then, finally, there’s your outer layer. The trick with this layer is to find a jacket that is both wind- and water-proof, while at the same time allows for moisture and some heat to escape so you don’t overheat. Look for a jacket made of a fabric like nylon, Gore-Tex, or ClimaFit.

While your upper body will greatly benefit from layering, you’ll find that one good layer in the form of running tights or pants will be all you need for your legs. If you find that one layer isn’t enough, you can consider adding wind-proof track pants to wear over your tights. Again, you’ll want tights made of a wicking material – no cotton!

Beyond the body layers, you’ll need to round out your gear with a hat, gloves or mittens, and possibly a neck gaiter or balaclava. Did you know that you can lose as much as 40% of your body heat through your head? Keeping it covered with a fleece or wool hat can go a long way to keeping you warm during your runs. Body heat can also easily escape through your hands so you’ll want to keep them covered with moisture-wicking gloves or mittens. On extremely cold days, you might want to borrow a page from skiers and add a neck gaiter or balaclava to both protect your neck and cover your mouth to warm the air you’re breathing in. And, lastly, don’t forget wool socks – they provide the wicking you need along with added warmth.

Yes, some days it will be too bitter cold to be outdoors; but for the most part, with a little preparation, you will find that you don’t have to spend the entire winter tied to a treadmill.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes I know I’m jumping the gun by a few hours… but the kids are now home, the oven is already fired up and I’m ready to unplug.

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Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Slow and steady progress

Sitting here a little bleary-eyed thanks to staying up to the wee hours of this morning to watch my beloved Patriots pull off an amazing comeback against the Broncos…so with my second mug of coffee in hand, a little randomness to start this Monday…

  • While making the decision to not run my half in December wasn’t easy, I must admit that the lack of pressure to hit certain paces or log enough miles has been kind of refreshing. This has been a tough fall running-wise and only now am I starting to see that I needed a break mentally as much as physically.
  • This past week I logged more time strength training than running – that’s a first!
  • hope4philippines bibSaturday was my longest run in weeks – 5 miles, including 3.1 dedicated to the Hope for the Philippines 5K. It was great to participate in this virtual run to help provide some aid to those so hard hit in the Philippines.
  • Saturday was also my first run with my running buddy E, who’s also been nursing an injury. I’ve missed those Saturday morning runs! We keep reminding each other that slowly but surely, we’ll build those miles up again. I’m really grateful that I have her to rely on as I try to get back into the swing of things.
  • Of course I’ve been looking at 2014 races and I’m getting excited for the first half of the year – could be the year of the 10-miler! (More to come on the race calendar soon)
  • And because I cannot resist  1466305_10152037491977372_907871165_n
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