“As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King
Still striving
August 28, 2013 by 4 Comments
Life Connected
August 27, 2013 by 4 Comments
My husband kind of chuckled when he saw the title of my last blog post – “Semi-unplugged” – when it came across his email (yes he subscribes to RWA!)
“What?!” I replied. “This is unplugged for us” …kinda 🙂 This as each of my sons sat reading from their respective tablets (a Nook and a Kindle Fire) and I played music from my iPad. OK so this may not have been everyone’s definition of “unplugged” – I guess I was thinking more in terms of being a little less connected from a work perspective. My husband J had largely ignored his office email and left his laptop closed (yes he did bring it with him) – and for me, I had answered just one work-related email. THAT to me is being unplugged!
I guess technology plays such an integral part of our family life that I don’t really even think about it much. It just makes my life easier – whether it’s loading up the tablets with books & magazines so reading material is always readily available; or texting my husband one more item while he’s at the grocery store. Seriously, what did we do before smartphones?!
Technology & social media also make my life easier by keeping me well-connected with both family and friends. As we hung out with extended family last week it was funny how up-to-date we all were on each other’s happenings – thanks in large part to Facebook. And thanks to Instagram, FB and texts, I could see some highlights of my brother’s Carribean cruise and share pictures of my boys sailing all while lounging on edge of the dock. And, of course, social media has played a very large role in my life as a runner virtually connecting me with an amazingly supportive community – a few of which I’ve been lucky enough to meet in person!
Now that we’re home I have been busy our family’s color-coded Google calendar with the boys’ fall sports schedules and school events – you want to see me lose it, just try messing with my calendar! I could go on and on …but you see my point. While a change of pace can really help you to feel refreshed and recharged, technology has become so interwoven into my daily life that “semi-unplugged” is about as disconnected as I’ll ever be!
How about you – do you ever truly unplug?
What’s the one element of technology/social media you can’t live without?
Semi-unplugged
August 23, 2013 by 4 Comments
So this has been my view for this past few days…ya I know, tough to get use to 🙂 As a last summer hurrah, we’ve made our annual trek to the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York. It’s been great to watch the boys run around with cousins, to laze by the water … to just move at a different pace. And with the exception of one or two quick things for work, I have for the most part remained largely unplugged from all electronic devices.
I did break out the Garmin long enough yesterday for my run. I was scheduled to do a tempo run with cruise intervals so it seemed like a good opportunity to also get my 10K done for Jen & Jill’s Virtual Birthday Bash Race. 
Clearly, I had blocked from my memory just how hilly it is around here! The beautiful views as I ran along the lake did help to distract me – at least for the first 5K – then the hills began to take their toll, it proved to be hotter out there than I had expected and the decision to not carry water started to look like a really bad choice (that and the decision to have “just one more beer” the night before!)
But I pressed on – there was definitely some muttering, a little cursing and a couple of walk breaks, especially when I hit the hill at mile 5. At 1:08:49 I was definitely not breaking any land-speed records but race #8 for #13in2013 is done! 
I’ll be back on those hills for Saturday’s long run, but for now my spot by the water is calling me and I’m returning to my semi-unplugged state 🙂
Motivated by Gratitude
August 19, 2013 by 5 Comments
As I was out on my long run Saturday, one thought kept occurring to me – just how grateful I was…
… grateful for a beautiful morning with cool temps
… grateful for having my running buddy E to laugh (and groan) with
… grateful my hubs came out to check on us and bring fresh water
… grateful to not feel any pain in my lower back/hip
… just grateful to be out running, to be out doing something I’ve really come to love doing!
Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the “should of’s” of a run – it’s important to remember to just simply go out an enjoy the run, to enjoy what your body can do and worry less about what it “should” do.
So as I head out for this morning’s run I’m motivated simply, but deeply, by gratitude.
Happy Running!
Thursday Thoughts – Tempo Runs
August 15, 2013 by 8 Comments
Tempo runs are hard.
There I said it. I admit it…of late when I look at my training plan and see a tempo run I take a deep breath …I might even shudder a little because I know what’s coming. While I look forward to my most of my runs, especially my long runs, tempo runs have not been high on my list lately.
The key to a tempo run is the ability to maintain a specific and constant pace for a number of miles. How many miles of course depends on what you’re training for — for me, most of my runs are between 4 – 6 miles, plus warm up and cool down. Of late I have found it really hard to lock into the target pace. More often, I’ve been going out too fast and then fading – not a pattern I want to carry into my fall races.
But every run can teach you something if you let it – and these runs are clearly showing me I still have work to do on dialing in on my pacing.
Tempo runs are hard…and necessary.
Do you include tempo runs in your training? Can you lock in your pacing?
Monday Motivation
August 12, 2013 by 8 Comments
With 6 weeks to go until the Wicked Half, here’s what I’ve got on my training plan for this week:
Monday — 7 mile hilly run with negative split on back half (followed by another visit to the chiro!)
Tuesday — Cross-training (Jillian Michaels Shred 30 DVD)
Wednesday — 4 miles Fartlek
Thursday — 8 miles with 5 @ tempo
Friday — Rest day
Saturday — 11 mile LSD
Sunday — Cross-training (more Jillian!)
Plus I’ll continue to do the #AugustCoreFocus challenge everyday – I’m loving this challenge!
What have you got planned for this week?
Friday Ramblings
August 9, 2013 by 3 Comments
Sitting here in a quiet house with the dog at my feet and coffee cup in hand…
There has been at least one, if not both, boys home sick since Tuesday! I was happy to see both smiling faces heading off to camp this morning – I swear there’s nothing worst than seeing your children not feel well 🙁
Between the sick kids and my cranky left hip, running has been a bit challenging this week. I am trying very hard to not get hung up in the miles I’ve missed, knowing that the cross-training will help and getting this hip happy is priority one!
Changes in family plans means I’ve needed to change up my fall racing schedule – I won’t be running ZOOMA in September so I’ve been on the hunt for another race to use as a “tune up” before I get to the B.A.A. Half in October. Though I think I’ve now found the source of my recent GI issues, Coach Bennett thinks it will be helpful to put my body through “race conditions” and see how I respond. So I think I’ll be adding this to my schedule:
It’s run on a beautiful course through Salem & Marblehead – Can. Not. Wait!
Seriously, how is it Friday again already? I feel like I just finished coming down from last weekend’s birthday fun and here we are again. Don’t get me wrong – I love seeing Friday arrive, but this summer is flying by way too fast! We still have a number of things left on our family summer bucket list!
We’ll get one more item checked off tomorrow as we’ll be catching a Boston Cannons’ game! My hubs J was elected to his lacrosse league’s all-star game (so proud of him!) and they’ll be playing their game before the Cannons. So the boys and I are going to go cheer on our All-Star and then we’re all hanging out for the Cannons’ game afterwards!
How are you doing with your Summer Bucket list?
Do you run tune-up races?
Back to the Chiropractor
August 8, 2013 by 9 Comments
Tightness in my lower back and left hip means a trip back to my chiro! The discomfort kicked in last Wednesday’s run and reared it’s ugly head again during my long run Saturday. Well that was enough for me – no point in risking derailing my training, time to revisit the chiro.
Have you ever been to a chiropractor? 
I was originally very hesitant…and maybe a little skeptical of seeing a chiropractor – the thought of all that popping and cracking kinda freaked me out. Then last November I went to a gait analysis clinic where the guest was Dr. G – a chiropractor and marathoner! I started seeing him and quickly started seeing improvement in both my lower back and left ITB. By the end of December, I was in good shape and on my way.
This is the first flare up I’ve had since and while I have no idea what I did to stir things up, I’m pretty certain heading back to Dr. G is the right move. One of the things I really like about working with Dr. G is that he takes a whole body approach – not simply focusing on the injury. And his treatment wasn’t just about adjustments, he also incorporated both cold laser treatments and the graston technique, as well as recommending stretches and exercises to help with imbalances. And, of course, I also love that he’s a runner 🙂
Obviously, seeing a chiropractor may not be for everyone. It should be a very individual choice based on your own research so you can gauge their approach in identifying a patient’s issue and the methods of treatment offered. And, in the end, never underestimate the trust factor!
Have you tried working with a chiropractor or using other alternative treatments?
Birthday Weekend Wrap-up
August 5, 2013 by 5 Comments
Enjoyed a great weekend…
… lots of time with family & friends
… a return to double digit long runs
… way too much good food & drink
… another year older
…. and spending time here
How can you not be happy looking at this?
I’m ready to take on the week!
How was your weekend?
Kicking off August!
August 1, 2013 by 10 Comments
While there was a lot of family fun in July – my running was a bit of a mixed bag. But, it’s a new month and I’m ready to kick things up a bit!
Kat over at Sneakers and Fingerpaints is hosting the August Core Focus Challenge! I’ve done a couple of ab/core challenges before and this one looked like fun and a perfect way to help get me on track for my fall races, so I’m in!
Another great way to kick things up? A race of course 🙂 Given that we’re in the dog days of summer there isn’t much to pick from on the racing front around here until September – so why not go virtual? Jill & Jen, the great ladies behind the #13in2013 Challenge are hosting a Birthday Bash Virtual Race in honor of their birthday month! You pick the distance and the day and for added incentive there are some fun prizes involved. August is my birthday month too and this is just the extra motivation to help me through one of my race pace runs.
I’m also thinking it’s time to mix things up with my cross-training so I’m returning to Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30. I tried this DVD out last summer and it definitely helped to keep things interesting. Just like last time, because of my schedule and making sure I get all my runs in, I will probably not do this workout for 30 days straight – but nonetheless Jillian is sure to keep me on my toes!
What have you got planned for August?
