Michelle — Page 93

Not another rest day!

October 28, 2013 by Michelle 16 Comments

I have not run since last Tuesday and I’m starting to get cranky!

By Friday morning I’d come to the decision that with just 6 weeks until my December half, I didn’t want to risk further injury running the local 5K. I had to admit to myself that my foot was still sore and rest was the best bet. A conversation with Coach Bennett and a review of the upcoming training plan confirmed that this was the right call.

But I can’t take it any more – I’ve run a grand total of 9.55 miles since the B.A.A. Half. At first I really welcomed the days off, but that only lasted a couple of days… then I started to get edgy. My hat is off to those of you who have sat on injured reserve for much longer! I’m grateful to be able to head back out this morning.

What’s the longest you’ve gone without running because of an injury?

Filed Under: foot pain, half marathon training, Recovery

Thursday Thoughts

October 24, 2013 by Michelle 12 Comments

Small Changes — I’m a couple of days behind on my #OneSmallChange update. So I was on a roll with Week 1‘s daily planks and then Week 2‘s keeping my coffee table clutter free, but I hit a bump in the road with Week 3’s change to up my daily water intake. Don’t know why I have such a tough time with this one, but I’ve decided to re-commit to this change for week 4 and see if I have better luck.

Race Debate — I’ve done very little running in the past week and half – in fact I’ve run exactly 3 times. I’ve been trying to give my bum foot and knee as much TLC as possible. And while the knee feels pretty good, my foot was sore after Tuesday’s run. I saw my massage therapist and she treated it and gave me the hairy eyeball when I floated the idea of running in this Sunday’s 5k. The Canton Fall Classic is one of my favorite races – it’s local so I get to see and catch up with a lot of friendly faces – I’d really hate to miss running it. I may hold off till Sunday morning to make the final call on this one.

And speaking of races... I did register for one more half for this year – it’s December 8. Yes I recognize that living in New England the first weekend of December can bring everything from freakishly mild temps to snow, but I’m going to cross my fingers and dig out my Yak-Traks just in case 🙂 My half marathon performance this year has left me underwhelmed to say the least and I’d like to take one last shot at putting together a good race before closing the book on 2013.

So tell me — what’s your best trick for making sure you get enough water? Would you run on Sunday?

Filed Under: #13in2013, Canton Fall Classic, foot pain, hydration, massage, Small changes, to race or not

BAA Distance Medley – Half Marathon Recap

October 21, 2013 by Michelle 11 Comments

The last race of the BAA Distance Medley is done! And it proved to be the hardest of the three races. I had originally hoped that this race would be a goal race – a chance to chase a PR. Then I took a tumble a week before the race and all bets were off. In the week leading into the race, the most my right foot and knee would tolerate was a 4-mile fartlek run.

When I checked in with Coach Bennett that Friday morning he actually asked me if there was another race I could do and take a pass on this one. But not completing the BAA Distance Medley that I started back in April was just not an option I wanted to entertain. I also really wanted to be out on the course with my running buddy E as she took on her first half. So in the end we agreed that I would run a very conservative race, taking walk breaks as needed and if necessary stopping if my foot or knee wouldn’t cooperate. So my race goals were simple – to finish and to not do any further damage.

Es husband dropped us off so we just had a short walk to the start. As soon as we picked up our race shirts, I got a text from Nicole and we caught up with her at the bag check. After missing each other at the first two Medley races this year it was great to finally see Nicole!

The three of us faced the crazy long lines for the port potties and then worked our way towards the front of our wave. Soon we were off. Within the first half mile, Nicole started to pull ahead and knowing that she was targeting 2:30 I had hoped to just keep her in my sights. E & I were moving well until about 3.5 miles in when my right foot made it clear it wanted to slow down. Around this point Amy & her husband had caught up with us – Amy was also injured and had planned to do a run/walk in hopes of finishing. I would end up leap-frogging back and forth with them throughout the course which really helped keep me going. I told E that I was going to need to slow down and she should keep going. I slowed and just as I started walking a guy passed me encouraging me to join him and keep going. I started again and just tried to focus on staying just off his right shoulder. It was funny for a while we didn’t talk at all – he would just check over his shoulder to see if I was still there. We ran that way for a bit and then I just needed to walk again so I let him go.

I kept plodding along, soaking in all of the encouragement from the volunteers (BAA Volunteers really are awesome!) I shuffled passed the water stop just after the 7 mile marker and heard someone call out to me – it was Jose who volunteering! Thank goodness for friendly faces! I soon came across the guy I’d been running with – this time we introduce ourselves (he was Charles) and started chatting as we ran. We picked up a woman named Rachel along the way and the three of us ran together for a bit. Having them to chat with and seeing Amy & her husband off and on were all great distractions from the growing soreness in my foot and now my right knee had joined the angry party!

Run, shuffle, walk is how I continued to make my way. E & I passed each other on the last out and back and high-fived. We were back in Franklin Park now and soon I spied my cheer squad! At this point I knew if I could just get through the last killer hill that was mile 11 it would be a fairly flat loop through the zoo and then into the stadium to the finish.

Walk, shuffle, run and finally the finish! E had finished about a minute before me and was waiting. I’m so proud of her!!

Once I had completely stopped moving it really hit me just how much my right knee and foot were hurting. I couldn’t wait to get home, get a shower and become one with the couch 🙂 Race #11 for this year done!

(Awesome double bling – one for the half and the other for the Distance Medley!)

The BAA Distance Medley was a great series of races – as I’ve said before the BAA does not disappoint! If you’re looking for some great courses through Boston and crazy-well organized races I encourage you to check out the Distance Medley.

Filed Under: #13in2013, B.A.A. Distance Medley, blogger meet-ups, injuries, race report

Small Changes – Week 2

October 16, 2013 by Michelle 5 Comments

It’s time for the One Small Change weekly link-up! Week 2 is done and I’m happy to say that I managed to keep my coffee table this clutter free all week! The trick was to do a quick “drive-by” every morning while I was grabbing my coffee. I also kept up week 1’s daily planks so I’m two for two on the small changes so far. (OK – in full disclosure, I did take race day off on the planks!)

So what’s up for week 3?

More of this

I just don’t drink enough water so I’d like to get at least two more glasses in each day.

Are you making small changes?

Filed Under: hydration, Small changes

Stay Ahead of Holiday Madness and a Giveaway

October 14, 2013 by Michelle 5 Comments

As I sit here recovering from Sunday’s race (recap coming soon), I’ve been sorting through the mail ~~that seemed to grow over night~~ that I let pile up this week and I cannot believe how many catalogs I have! Each one urging me to take advantage of their great sale, to not wait before that perfect holiday gift sells out! Seriously – it’s only mid October. Combine the catalog deluge with the four different notices my boys recently brought home announcing various school holiday activities/events and I can feel the first tinges of holiday madness starting to seep in.

And, before you think I’m jumping the gun on holiday panic – there are just 44 days until Hanukkah, 45 days until Thanksgiving and 72 days until Christmas. And, as my fellow moms know, keeping track of all of the school activities, family events and finding the perfect gift for each and everyone on our list can add quite a bit to an already packed to do list!

So how do you find/maintain some balance going into the holidays? Today I’m collaborating with a few other bloggers, sharing tips for maintaining health and fitness priorities when things get crazy. For me I find a couple of things are a must:

Keep moving — Commit to carving out time each day to move. Some days you may have time for your regular run, but other times you won’t so have some quick back-ups ready – like planks or a few sun salutes. And, remember every little bit counts so take the stairs when you can or park at the far end of the parking lot when you’re out shopping.
Take a moment to breathe — This time of year is when I pay special attention to not fall off the meditation bandwagon. If you don’t have a meditation practice, just taking a few times throughout the day to stop and breathe can help slow a mind overwhelmed by to do’s.
Get enough sleep — As hard as it may be, don’t sacrifice sleep in the name of getting more done. Try to maintain your normal bedtime – your mind and body will thank you.
Remember to eat — In your daily running around trying to cram in all that needs to get done, it is very easy to skip a meal for the sake of time. Don’t do it! Feed your body and feed it well. You’ll be less tempted to down that extra cookie and you’ll have the energy you need to get all of those “to do’s” done.
Treat yourself — One of my favorite things to do around the holidays is plan a get together with a friend or two where we grab coffee together and then go for a mani/pedi! It’s a great way to grab a little girl-time. Check out Coupons.com for Spa Finder coupon codes good for big discounts on spa services and day spas.

How do you keep holiday madness in check?

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Filed Under: giveaways, holiday sanity

Friday Five – Race Time and an Anniversary

October 11, 2013 by Michelle 6 Comments

Coffee cup in hand and lots of thoughts swirling in my head….

1. This has been such an odd race week. I have been icing, stretching and doing everything else I can think of to baby my right knee and foot. There are moments things feel pretty good and other times I cannot believe how much everything hurts!

2. I’ve only run once – a 4 mile fartlek yesterday. Some discomfort but no serious pain – I’m calling it a small victory.

3. Originally the B.A.A. Half was going to be a goal race – I was hoping to go after a PR. Obviously, I’ve been rethinking that goal all week and trying to figure out what’s realistic. Still have no idea what time goal to aim for – looking forward to my call with Coach Bennett to see what he thinks.

4. I am so excited for my running buddy E – this will be her first half! She’s trained so hard for this and I just know she’s going to do great! I can’t wait to see her cross the finish line!

5. My hubs J gave me an amazing pep talk last night. His support always means so much to me. And, today is our 21st wedding anniversary!

Are you racing this weekend?

Filed Under: BAA, family support, Friday Five, race goals

Small Changes are Coming

October 8, 2013 by Michelle 6 Comments

How many times have you declared a change/new habit you’d like to see in your life – you start out with a lofty promise/declaration and lots of motivation but over time for a whole host of reasons, some of those new habits just don’t stick? Sound familiar?

Last week Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice announced a great challenge for the final three months of the year — to make one small change each week. The trick is to stick with whatever change you’ve made while adding a new change the following week. Love this idea! While I feel like I’ve been pretty good at tackling some of my bigger goals this year – I still find there are some nagging things that I just can’t seem to get a handle on…like the paper clutter that has taken over various parts of my house despite my best intentions!

For week 1, I decided to return to doing daily planks – that way I ensure that no matter what other exercise I may or may not do, I’ll get some core work every day. And I’m happy to say, that with the exception of Saturday when I took my big tumble, I got my planks done. For week 2, I’m going after some of that aforementioned paper clutter by trying to keep my coffee table clear and organized.

Marcia will be hosting a link-up every Tuesday…and there will even be prizes if you need a little extra push 🙂

Filed Under: building good habits, Small changes

Race Week Focus

October 6, 2013 by Michelle 10 Comments

I can already be pretty obsessive during race week…but now there’s this.

Yes that’s my right knee. I had just 3/4 of a mile to go in my long run on Saturday when my toe caught an uneven piece of sidewalk and before I knew I was air borne. I jammed my left shoulder and scraped my right elbow, but my right knee took the brunt of the fall. So I spent the rest of Saturday alternating between icing and hobbling around.

I’m happy to say that while still stiff and sore, I’ve got a lot more mobility today. I’m sure it will continue to loosen up as the week goes on (she says with fingers-crossed). I have just a couple of light runs planned for this week, and one run with a few miles at race pace – but, at this point the work is done.

My main focus this week will be to eat mindfully, get enough sleep and, yes baby the knee. (I will not obsess, I will not obsess, I will not obsess!)

Filed Under: injuries, no excuses, race week

Runner’s World Cookbook Review

October 2, 2013 by Michelle 5 Comments

When I received a preview copy of the new Runner’s World Cookbook a couple of weeks ago, I was super excited! I love food and love to cook – so a cookbook dedicated to runners – um yeah that’s a no-brainer for me…sign me up!

That philosophy – that you can eat well while fueling your body – is something we strive to bring to the pages of Runner’s World every month. Over the years, we’ve published hundreds of recipes that show you how to create nutrient-rich and satisfyingly delicious meals that you can cook for yourself, your family and your friends. Now we’ve compiled the very best of those recipes into one cookbook that you can turn to no matter what your needs.”
— The Runner’s World Cookbook

The first thing that struck me as I took my first scan of the book, besides how visually appealing it was, is that I really think they deliver on the promise of offering something for everybody! The introduction “How to Eat Like a Runner” offers some helpful nutritional information on key staples, including protein sources and healthy oil options.

The introduction also provides my favorite feature – the recipe key. Every recipe in the book is indexed by a color-coded key at the top of the page so you can quickly and easily identify if the recipe is best for pre-run or recovery, as well as if it’s vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free.

The 150 recipes are laid out over 10 chapters, covering everything from Breakfast to Snacks and Smoothies to Mains to Deserts. As you can see from all the little green tabs, I had no problem identifying a bunch of recipes I wanted to try 🙂

While I have not worked my way through all of those tabs yet, I can definitely say that what I have tried has been really flavorful!

Spicy Sausage & Mushroom Soup

Almond Butter & Pear Sandwich

Frozen Peanut Butter Balls
(totally addictive!)

These are just a sampling of some of the recipes I’ve tried so far – I still need to work on my food photo skills – and in some cases I started eating before I remembered to take a picture 😉

Overall, in addition to being delicious, the recipes are really straightforward, easy to follow and quick to put together. So you can get a great meal and then either get on with your run or the rest of your day!

I’m really looking forward to trying more of the recipes. A huge thanks to the folks at Runner’s World for sending me a copy of the book to review!

The Runner’s World Cookbook is available for sale now. I received a complimentary copy to review, however all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: Nutrition, product reviews, Runner's World