general musings

Here we go again

February 22, 2013 by Michelle 3 Comments

It’s been school vacation week here and I will admit this is usually a week I dread because it’s usually too cold to be outdoors and every museum, movie theater, arcade, bowling ally or other possible indoor activity is jam-packed with other desperate parents looking to keep the kids entertained.

But despite my apprehension it’s been a good week – We’ve kept the boys busy with skiing and snowboarding, sledding, board (and yes, some video) games, and time with friends. While my running has definitely taken a backseat this week, there’s been some cross-training and my boys have really gotten into the 30-day ab challenge with me 🙂

Once again we’re expecting another snow storm this weekend – yes that’s the third weekend in a row for those of you keeping track!

The local weather people can barely contain their excitement while I’m seriously not looking forward to another round of cross-training in the form of shoveling.

And, once again I’m scheduled to get my first race in of 2013 – this time it’s the Frosty Virtual 5K/10K/Half Marathon to benefit the American Cancer Society. Since the snow/rain mess is due to kick in sometime Saturday afternoon my plan is to get out uber early on Saturday morning and get my 5K in before my son’s hockey game. At least I know this race won’t be canceled 😉

Are you racing this weekend?
Or have a date with a snow shovel?

Filed Under: #13in2013, general musings, race, school vacation, virtual race

Weekend wrap-up

January 21, 2013 by Michelle 5 Comments

Since we were heading out of town for a hockey tournament this weekend, I decided to move my long run to Friday. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided on 20 degrees with the wind chill of 9. Now I’ll do almost anything to avoid the ‘mill, but given the frigid temps I really felt like I had no choice. So this would be a first – long run on the mill!

I played every mind game I could think of, varied my pace and the elevation, alternated between music and ESPN, and people-watched the handful of people in the gym who came and went. It took everything trick I could come up with, but I got it done….10 miles….a new treadmill distance PR!

Next we were off to the hockey tournament. While the boys’ didn’t win, the games were hard fought. Truthfully I think the boys all enjoyed the time between the games more – the beauty of staying in a hotel with an indoor pool and arcade! We also got to catch up with family – J’s parents live about a half hour from the arena and my sister-in-law and nephew drove down from Upstate New York to meet us.

Unfortunately, we got home on Sunday to watch my beloved Patriots implode last night in the AFC Championship game – so I will be running my #MilesofShame this week. (Pavement Runner and NYC Running Mama organized a little runners’ wager on this weekend’s games – if your team lost, you run the point differential. Luckily for me, you had the option to cap your miles, so I’ll only be running 10 instead of 15!)

The kids are off today for Martin L. King Day….and yes of course that means there’s another hockey game! Otherwise, we plan to spend the day hanging out and I’m hoping to get J to come with me to check out a new gym.

How was your weekend?

What’s the farthest you’ve gone on a treadmill?

Filed Under: #MilesofShame, general musings, Patriots, treadmill run

Monday randomness & a winner

November 5, 2012 by Michelle 5 Comments

Another un-caffeinated post on a Monday morning….

I’d really like someone to explain to me why my son’s hockey games must all start at 7 on a Sunday morning?!?!? It’s going to be a very long season….

So race week craziness has returned as I count down the days to this Sunday’s race. As I mentioned HERE I don’t fare well during these weeks!

Big goal this week is to try to get enough sleep – something I’ve been sorely lacking of late.

While I am looking forward to taking a break from a training plan, I’m already eyeing 6 – 8 races for next year. Haven’t pulled the trigger on any of them yet…oh my poor credit card!

Yurbuds Winner!

Thanks to all of you who entered the Yurbuds giveaway — the playlist suggestions were great! And, with the help of Random.org, the winner is lucky #7 Jen from Hello Fitness We Meet Again. Jen, please email me at runningwithattitude@yahoo.com. Congrats!

Anyone else started shopping 2013 races yet?

Filed Under: Chilly Half, general musings, giveaways, race, race week

Thursday Thoughts – By the Numbers

October 11, 2012 by Michelle 15 Comments

11 — miles done this morning

4 — first 4 running and chatting with my friend E

5 — hills on my route

1 — driver on his phone who rolled through the “walk” light when I started to cross

?? — names I proceeded to call him…too numerous to count

6 — times I thought “This is why I love running in the fall!”

3 — truck drivers who waved

20 — years of marriage I’m celebrating today! J & I are heading out of town for an extended long weekend to one of our favorite inns in New Hampshire to celebrate!

Filed Under: by the numbers, general musings, wedding anniversary

Running Pop Quiz

October 8, 2012 by Michelle 5 Comments

Christine over at Big Dream Runner posted this quiz and invited others to play along. And this seems like more fun than brooding over my struggle through 11 miles this weekend thanks to an ITB flare up…so here goes:

1. FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?
I’m actually still trying to figure out what works best for me. Of late I’ve been using either GU or GU Chomps on my long runs, but I’m still playing with the timing of when to take them.

2. Race Length: 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?
I love the 1/2 marathon distance! I would like to run more 10ks because I think they’re such a great mix of speed and endurance, but as I’ve mentioned before I feel like races in this distance are getting harder to find around here.

3. Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants or Other?
Usually I’m either in a running skirt or capris unless it’s ridiculously cold out!

4. Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?
Water or Nuun – everything else seems to upset my stomach.

5. Running Temperatures: HEAT or COLD?
Cold!! I’ve made no secret of the fact that running in the heat and I are not friends!

6. Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brookes, Asics or Other?
Since discovering Saucony Mirage and Kinvara, my closet has been dominated by Saucony!

7. Pre-race meal: Oatmeal, Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?
I try to keep this consistent with my long runs, so of late it’s a Honey Stringer Waffle and half a banana.

8. Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?
2x per week — I like to book-end my long runs with rest days.

9. Music: Have to have it or go without it?
I went through a long stretch without music, which I talked about here. And while I try to get some runs in without, I definitely prefer to run with music.

10. #1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for social reasons or Other?
I run for lots of reasons, but sanity/”me time”/stress relief would be high on my list!

So how would you answer any of these questions?

Filed Under: general musings, no music, Saucony

Pre-Race Randomness

March 16, 2012 by Michelle 13 Comments

So the family and I made it into DC yesterday. The boys’ desire for lunch (read whinning) had us arriving at the Expo later than I had hoped so I missed out on some blogger meetups…but we all know that when traveling with kids holding to a plan/schedule rarely happens 🙂

The boys did indulge me while I wandered the expo a bit — they got a kick out of Brooks’ carnival-like set up, especially playing skee ball, and made it their mission to collect stickers from as many vendors as possible! I got to check out a few new products, sample some Nuun flavors and chat with the KT Tape reps (got some samples of their new PRO tape I’m looking forward to trying!) before my guys announced they were done. We had a lazy evening and my oldest was thrilled to discover the hotel’s hot tub!

Today will be a delicate balance between sight-seeing and not being on me feet too much.

I’m feeling very antsy….I have been all week. I had a great final long run last Saturday and since then I’ve just been feeling on edge. On the whole, it’s been a pretty good training cycle, now I’m just eager to see what happens.

I know there are a number of big races happening this weekend so

I wish all of you running good luck, a strong tailwind and swift feet!

Filed Under: general musings, pre-race, RnR DC

Figuring out the final tweeks

March 6, 2012 by Michelle 16 Comments

My long run Saturday was 12.25 – my longest training run to date. It was a solid run despite running 3/4 of it in a downpour. I loved the look I got from a woman in her car as I waited for the light so I could cross – she literally shook her head at me as the rain was blowing sideways. I just nodded at her and smiled – “Yep I’m out here baby and loving it!”

I felt more solid on the hills than I had the previous week. The play list still needs fine tuning (no pun intended), but it’s coming together nicely. The one thing that didn’t go so well was my fueling – I ran out of gas in the ninth mile and it became a mental bargaining game from that point to the end.

Looking back on it I think I would have done better to take GUs at 4 and then again at 8 — I’ll try that this Saturday and see how it feels. I’m also going to need to make a decision about whether or not to wear my hydration belt. While I’m still not in love with wearing it, I have done all of my long training runs in it. When I ran Philly last fall I wore it and given the congestion at the water stations I was glad to have it. I didn’t use it for the Wampanoag 10, but then again it was a significantly smaller race. RnR USA is sold out so given the potential numbers, I’m leaning towards wearing it.

I’m too far out to start checking the 10-day forecast and obsessing about the weather. Which means the race day attire is still up in the air – not a huge problem I suppose since I know better than to wear anything new without testing it out first. I just know how unpredictable DC weather can be…but I have no control over it so I need to let it go.

OK I’ll stop obsessing for now….my five mile run calls!

Filed Under: general musings, long runs, RnR, running dilemnas, weather

Eleven, Eleven, Eleven, Eleven

January 26, 2012 by Michelle 16 Comments

I got tagged by both XL over at Taking It On and Molly at I’m a Sleeper Baker to join in on the game of 11’s that’s been going on in bloggyland. I’ve been enjoying reading others’ bits of randomness, so here goes…

In case you don’t know, the rules are:

Post these rules
You must post 11 random things about yourself
Answer the questions set for you in their post
Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

My Random Stuff

I have a shoe and handbag addiction that could be viewed as unhealthy
Spiders freak me out
I have two white board calendars in my kitchen that are color-coded for each family member (even the dog has a color)
I could wear only black clothing for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy
I’m a sucker for TV & movie awards shows
I love spicy food and make a mean jambalaya
I think Valentines Day is a bogus holiday
I’m a bit of a political junkie – both fascinated and repulsed by the whole process
When I’ve been pulled over, I’ve been able to talk my way out of speeding tickets
I love to decorate – I can spend hours looking at paint samples
I have no tolerance for bad customer service

XL’s Questions

What is your ‘comfort food’? My husband J’s beef stroganoff
Do you exercise better when you are angry or happy? Depends on the exercise – speedwork or hills are best done angry!
Have you ever done anything to the point of puking? What? Yep – did the stupid drink too much thing once…once was enough
Any embarrassing nicknames in your past? Spill it. In college – Mother Goose…long story.
Guilty movie pleasure? Chick flicks – Devil Wears Prada is a fave.
Do you like or dislike these tagging memes? Like them.
Why do you run? (might seem like a stupid question, but I’m curious) For so many reasons…for sanity.. for the challenge (both mental and physical)…for “me” time
Would you rather be rich or famous? Rich – I think of all I could do for my family, community, charities.
If you could go anywhere tomorrow without any worries (everything would be taken care of perfectly for the duration) where would you go, Australia
with whom and my husband J
for how long? a couple of months – I’d want our boys to join us but I want at least 1 week just the two of us!

Molly’s Questions

1. what is the one song you never tire of? At the moment, Jay-Z’s “Run this Town”
2. what scares you? Living a life of unfulfilled dreams – don’t want to have a lot of should haves
3. what’s on your bucket list? I don’t really have a list…but it would probably include lots of travel destinations
4. salty or sweet? Salty
5. what would you do with an unexpected day off? Head to the beach with a book
6. boxers or briefs? Boxers
7. what would you have for your last meal? Anything on the menu from Esca in NYC
8. what is your favorite body part? My arms
9. what do you like best about your job? I work out of my house so the flexibility
10. Giants or Patriots? Patriots!
11. what is your goal for 2012? To live more in the moment, to be present

My Questions for the Newly Tagged

Favorite quote or saying (not from a movie)?
Favorite movie quote?
3 dinner guests -who would they be? (Can be dead or alive)
Favorite indulgence?
Favorite Cocktail (or beer or wine)?
Favorite book from childhood?
Have you traveled abroad? Where?
Beyond running, what’s your favorite hobby?
What 3 things do you have to have in the morning?
What 3 things do you have to have when you head to bed?
What’s your biggest pet peeve?

And, finally the Newly Tagged:
(If you’ve been tagged before, please include a link to your post in a comment, cause I’d love to check it out)

Erica at I Run Because…I Can
Jeff at Detroit Runner
Stephanie Anne at Running to Health
Suz at Cows, Lasers and Everything in Between
Carrie at Family Fitness Food
Amanda at Run to the Finish
Erika at MCM Mama
Jill at One Tough Cookie and a Beer
Paige at The Last Doughnut
Lisa at Early Morning Run
Rene at The Amherst Shuffle

Whew…that was one crazy long post!

Filed Under: eleven, general musings, randomness

Monday Ramblings

December 12, 2011 by Michelle 9 Comments

If you’ve been following along with me for a while now then you know I’m big on making lists…well I think I’ve crossed the line when I start putting “make a list” on the to do list! Is there a List Anonymous Group I can join?

I need to work out a deal with UPS that they deliver no packages on the weekends….my kids are getting suspicious and I’m running out of places to hide gifts!

And, whose brilliant idea was it to starting painting my kitchen/family room just a few weeks before Christmas?!!? Oh yeah…that would be me…my husband is really a good sport.

I’ve started doing a little writing for the Examiner.com’s Boston edition – you can check out my first article HERE (yes…shameless plug). The funny thing is I had tons of article ideas floating around in my head, then I got the gig and have been having writer’s block.

On the running front, despite not being thrilled with being sidelined for a bit at the beginning of the month with a cold, the rest has clearly done my knee some good. My last few runs have felt good and been pain-free!

OK…now I’m off to tackle one of my many lists!

Happy Monday!

Filed Under: Examiner, general musings, left knee, to do list, writer's block