Warning: Frustrated Runner Ahead

January 22, 2017 by 54 Comments


Let me just get this out there…this was not a pretty week from a training standpoint. My run in the rain on Tuesday included slipping on an oil slick in the road – while I didn’t go down, I ended up gimpy.  A cranky left knee meant there was no more running until I attempted Saturday morning’s long run. I managed to eek out 6.5 miles – they weren’t easy, but got them done. This girl is not a happy camper…

But, I’m not going to wallow. I can keep my cardio going on the Arc Trainer; so while I will try to run again this week, there may need to be more cross-training.

I’m happy to say that I’m 22 days into the Winter Challenge, and my BGR team has moved into the top 5 teams for total mileage!  Since the Challenge allows for both walking and running, I can keep contributing to my team even if it needs to be a brisk walk.

I’m meeting up with Trainer Stacy on Wednesday, and just joined a 10 x 10 plank challenge started by one of my fellow SPIbelt ambassadors (10 mins of planking every day for 10 days) – so there will be a big focus on strength work this week.

And, hopefully there will be some running…fingers crossed!

Tell me – how do you keep busy when you can’t run?

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. 

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Filed Under: half marathon training, injuries, Weekly Wrap

NYC Half Training Week 3

January 15, 2017 by 20 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Even as I type the words I’m having a little bit of a hard time believing we’re already halfway through the month! After struggling with a nasty cold last week, this week was all about getting back on track.

Monday: I spent most of the day trying to get caught up on work, but did get in a 1.25 miles towards the Winter Challenge – Day 9.

Tuesday: Strength day plus another mile for the Winter Challenge.

Wednesday: 4 mile tempo run.

Thursday:  Rest day – a much needed massage happened, and yes a 1.25 miles more towards the Challenge. If you’re wondering why 1.25…that’s one trip around my block 🙂

Friday: 5 mile tempo. I must admit I came so close to phoning this one in. I woke up so tired and the wind was seriously whipping around…I just wasn’t feeling it, but knew I’d be upset with myself later…so out the door I went. There was a lot of cursing, but 5 miles were done.

Saturday:  The frigid temps returned, but luckily no wind. My legs felt like lead after Friday’s run and I was very happy to have my husband along for the run. And, it was a beautiful morning!

Sunday: I squeezed in a brisk 1.25 mile walk after my son’s hockey game to keep the Winter Challenge streak going.

All-in-all not a bad week, but the runs all felt tough because I just had no energy (I’m guessing a lingering effect from the cold…plus a few too many nights staying up to watch The Daily Show). The big goal for this week is to get to bed at a reasonable hour so I don’t feel so fried.

I also got the great news this week that I was selected as a SPIbelt Ambassador again for this year! I’ve made no secret of my love for SPIbelt and am psyched to be representing them again!

rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpgI’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Please be sure to head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training, life happenings, motivation and encouragement!

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Filed Under: half marathon training, NYC Half, SPIbelt, Weekly Wrap

Back to Training

January 1, 2017 by 30 Comments

Happy New Year!

The week between Christmas and the New Year is always one of my favorite times of the year. It’s usually all about spending time with family, relaxing and recharging. And this past week I stuck with that tradition – though I did have to acknowledge a little email in my inbox on Monday from the RC coaches noting that I’m 12 weeks out from the NYC Half.

Hmmm…a not so subtle hint that it’s time to return to a training plan. Thankfully the RC team recognized that I was still in holiday/vacation mode so the plan for this week was fairly light.

NYC Half Marathon Training Week 1

Monday: Day after Christmas is always “Family Pajama Day” – no houseguests, no meal prep, just the 4 of us hanging out – a perfect day!

Tuesday: 800 meter repeats on the treadmill.  (What was I saying about it being a light week?!)

Wednesday: Too much family fun = no workout

Thursday:  Strength day – even got my youngest son to join me! There were lots of planks, squats, deadbugs, bridges and lunges – it was all about core and legs.

Friday: 3.1 miles – J joined me for running the last virtual 5K of the Rock’n’Roll Winter Runningland Series. Conditions were much icier than we expected so this was part run, part shuffle.

Source: Rock n Roll Marathon Series

Saturday: Saturdays are usually my long run day, but we started the day very early shuttling out to the middle of nowhere for my son’s hockey game. By the time the game was done and we made the drive back I just couldn’t will myself back out into the frigid temps to run. And once I spied the forecast for Sunday, my decision was made.

Sunday:  40 degrees this morning! My ideal running weather – so I got in 5 miles while the family slept. Happy to get the new year off on the right foot 🙂

Yeah…pretty easy peasy this week and I’m fine with that! I’m pretty sure the RC coaches will not be so kind during this upcoming week.

Did you have any big plans for New Year’s Eve? Are you training for anything yet? 

I’m linking up again with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Please be sure to stop by and checkout both of these great ladies, and join in and share how your week went! 

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Filed Under: half marathon training, NYC Half, Weekly Wrap

2016 Year in Review

December 18, 2016 by 28 Comments

13 – just 13 days people and 2016 is a wrap! While my running plans for 2017 are well underway (more to come on that), it feels like a good time to reflect on this year of running.

Best race experience:  The RnR Vegas weekend!  My brother, husband and I had such a good time from start to finish – and this weekend included not one, but two races as I took on the Remix Challenge! A first for me doing back-to-back races. (You can check out my recap here.)

Best run: I can’t say that there was one run that stood out. My husband started joining me for my long runs on Saturdays, and I will say those became my favorite runs each week.

Best new piece of running gear: Aftershokz headphones! (affiliate link) I love that they let me hear my music and my surroundings with such clarity.

Best running advice you’ve received this year: Don’t let comparison (to past times/PRs) take away from the current journey. This came from one of the RC coaches and I refer back to it often.

Most inspirational runner:  I’ve always been a huge fan, but after getting to meet him in Vegas, …this one was easy – Meb!

Favorite picture from a run or race this year: There was lots of family running this year – these are just a few of my favorite photos!

Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat: For the fun of it I would do Vegas again without a doubt. If I were looking for a “do-over” I would pick RnR Philly – the humidity was atrocious and really sucked the life out of me. I’d love a chance to do that course again…  with more fall-like conditions! 😉

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words what would they be? Good to be back! After no racing and a very little running in 2015, it was wonderful to get back into the groove. I made a lot of progress this year and cannot wait to see what 2017 will bring!

I’m linking up with Courtney, who is hosting the annual Year of Running link-up. Head over to check out her blog, and see what everyone else has been up to in 2016!

 

I’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Be sure to check out all of the great ladies sharing their weekly happenings!

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Filed Under: Weekly Wrap, year in review

Weekly Wrap: the Plague, Prada & NYC

December 11, 2016 by 14 Comments

Last weekend, I had a great long run, mapped out some December goals and was ready to take on the week ahead. Then I wasn’t…by Monday afternoon I was hit hard by the plague. It started as a stomach bug that morphed into a malaise that would linger the rest of the week. That may sound a bit dramatic, but I tell you it was not pretty!

I managed to eek out a brief strength workout on Thursday and a short elliptical workout on Friday. I was determined to not let the whole week go by without a run, so Saturday morning I braved the very windy, 23-degree conditions and cranked out a respectable 5.25 miles. Today was all about rolling & stretching, and finishing decorating my house for Christmas.

Well not the week I was hoping for, but I’m happy to say I am feeling better. And, while not the ideal way to do it, I’m willing to bet I’ve dropped a couple of pounds.

I actually watched this on Friday night…one of my favorites!

And I got this nice surprise in my inbox:

So the first race of 2017 is all set!

rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpgI’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training, life happenings, motivation and encouragement!

 

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Filed Under: NYC Half, Weekly Wrap

Wrapping up Thanksgiving week

November 27, 2016 by 16 Comments

As I runfessed on Friday, I allowed myself some much needed down time after we got back from Vegas. So this week was about slowly finding some mojo…

Monday: Strength session with Trainer Stacy. Nothing helps to knock the rust off faster than an intense hour working on core, hips and shoulders!

Tuesday: Well, I got a little overambitious with Monday’s workout so a little gentle yoga was needed.

Wednesday: 7 hrs of travel in a car – thank goodness for compression sleeves!

Thursday:  3 easy miles on the hotel treadmill before Thanksgiving festivities.

Friday: 6+ hours of car travel followed by some much needed rolling!

leaf-raking

Saturday: Cardio by way of leaf raking. (If I never see another leaf again I’d be ok with that!)

Sunday:  I laid in bed for a long time listening to the wind whip around the house and debating a run. I opted for a strength workout following the new plan Stacy created for me.

So yeah…finding that mojo was a little slow going. The goal for this upcoming week is simple – get some miles in. I’d really like to up my strength training during this “off season” so Stacy and I worked out a plan that should have me in the gym 3x’s a week. That still leaves 3 days to run and a yoga/rest day – at least that’s the plan.

rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpgAs always, I’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training, life happenings, motivation and encouragement!

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Filed Under: Weekly Wrap

My RnR Vegas Recap – #StripAtNight

November 20, 2016 by 24 Comments

Last weekend I was on the road once again for a race weekend – this time it was Vegas! Ah and what a weekend! Meeting Meb, Snoop Dogg in concert, some great food (and cocktails), blogger meet-ups, not one but two races, and running the Vegas strip at night – much fun was had for sure…so without further ado…settle in for my recap.

vegas-bling

(Disclosure: As a member of the Rock’n’Blog team, I received a free race entry for the Remix Challenge. As always, all opinions are mine!)

Both my husband and brother were joining me for this trip. We arrived in Vegas by mid morning, got an early check-in at the hotel and grabbed lunch before heading to the expo. Packet pick-up was a breeze and we were quickly wandering the aisles of over 80 expo vendors. There were a lot of good deals, but we didn’t go too crazy. I couldn’t wait to pick up the awesome #Werunsocial t-shirt I had pre-ordered!

wearewhathappensinvegas

Yes it glows in the dark!

The highlight of the expo was meeting Meb at the Rock’n’Roll booth! We hadn’t heard the announcement that he was going to be there – I spotted him purely by chance. Meeting Meb was awesome! He was so gracious – we chatted about his book (you can check out my review here) and I did my best to not go totally fan-girl on him. A hug, photo and an autographed bib – yeah my race experience was complete and I hadn’t even toed the line yet!

meb

The rest of the day was spent doing way too much walking taking in the sights of the strip. We capped the day with an amazing dinner at Yardbird Restaurant (definitely worth a visit!).

We took advantage of sleeping in Saturday morning before grabbing brunch and heading up the strip to scout out the 5K location. The race didn’t start until 6 p.m. and the three of us found it a little hard to manage the day and not do too much. The crowds heading up to the race were crazy – we had to let 3 monorails go before we could squeeze our way on one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people lining up for a 5K! People did not self-seed well and there were way too many walkers up front. My brother and I did what we could to run when we could find open space, but in many places the course narrowed and we were just stuck behind a wall of walkers. We certainly weren’t out there to worry about time so we just went with it  – first half of the Remix Challenge done! Off for another great meal – this time at Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar.

post-5k

Sunday morning started with a great brunch at Margaritaville’s roof deck. A perfect spot to watch the closing of the strip and pre-race set up. We hung out and watched football, again trying to lay low and not do too much. I just have to say late day races for me are hard! Finally it was time to head to the race. The guys were doing the 10K so we said our goodbyes at the monorail station and I headed off to hit the Snoop Dogg headliner concert and the We Run Social meet-up.

vegas-blogger-collage There were so many of us for the meet-up we barely all fit in the photo! It was great to meet so many bloggers including Sharon, Kim and Carlee. Snoop Dog played all of his big hits and really had the crowd going.

I was in the Yellow start so I had a fair amount of waiting to do until they called us to the start. The corrals were a hot mess and as I chatted with others waiting to shuffle to the start I reminded myself the goal for this race was simply to have fun – there was no time goal. Running the Vegas Strip was pretty amazing and the energy was great! The only lull was the loop of miles 7 – 9 where we were running through “old Vegas” and some random neighborhoods. You could definitely feel the runner energy drop at this point and I could definitely feel the whirlwind days catching up with me. Luckily we were soon back at the top of the strip and heading towards the finish line.

Final thoughts…

This was one fun race weekend! There is nothing quite like running down the middle of the Vegas Strip at night – definitely one that every runner should experience.

If you do run Vegas, know that this is not the race for a PR. You’ve got to go into it just looking to have fun and enjoy the experience.

If you can tack on an extra day, I would recommend post-race so you can fully celebrate Vegas-style 🙂

The Vegas pre-sale of just $99 for 2017 is on until midnight tonight…just sayin’ 😉

the-strip

I’m linking up once again with Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap!

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Filed Under: #MebforMortals, #RocknBlog, #StripAtNight, blogger meet-ups, race report, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Prepping for #StripAtNight

November 6, 2016 by 19 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Anyone else feeling inspired after watching NYC Marathon coverage today?! I always have said that if I ever decided to take on a marathon NYC would be on my wish list. As it is, I did decide to throw my hat in for the 2017 NYC Half lottery – fingers crossed for the December drawing!

But, before I get too far ahead of myself…there is still running the #StripAtNight in just a few short days. So how did this week go?

vegas-logo

Monday: Post race rest day.

Tuesday: Strength day – Keeping up with the Turkish get ups, plank series and squats.

Wednesday: 5 miles with 3 at steady state.

Thursday:  3 easy miles.

Friday: 3.2 miles more.

Saturday: Saturdays are usually my long run day. I had 8 on the plan and given the boys’ sports/activities schedule, running in the morning was just not going to be possible. So I pushed the run to later in the afternoon…and then life happened…and the run got pushed to Sunday.

Sunday:  Woke up oddly tired, despite the extra hour thanks to the clocks going back. This run felt surprisingly good despite the tired legs and hilly course – 7.2 miles done!

I’m linking up again with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Join in and share how your week went.

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Filed Under: #StripAtNight, half marathon training, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Training and a 5K

October 30, 2016 by 26 Comments

Once again the days are flying by at an alarming rate and October is drawing to a close. As always, I’m joining Holly and Tricia for the #WeeklyWrap link-up. When you’re done here, please visit these two great ladies and all of the other fun bloggers linking up.

Monday: An easy run of 4 miles.

Tuesday: The plan called for 4 miles and I’ve been trying to shift to some late day running to get ready for Vegas. Well, life and family schedules caused me to keep pushing this run later and later and eventually it just didn’t happen. (This is exactly why I’m a morning runner!)

Wednesday: Strength day with Trainer Stacey. Turkish get-ups, deadlifts, bear crawls and lots of core work were all part of the mix.

Thursday:  3-mile tempo intervals. I don’t know where the RC coaches came up with this one! Plan called for two sets of tempo intervals with a 3 min rest, plus warm up and cool down. I’ll just say there was a lot of swearing!

Friday: 4 more easy miles in crazy swirling winds, followed by a much needed sports massage.

Saturday: Just a two mile shakeout run.

Sunday: Canton Fall Classic 5K. I haven’t run a 5K in ages and I forgot just how hard they can be. I also forgot how challenging this course is – mile 2 is just one hill after another. But this is a great local race – it’s always great to see so many of the runners I see out and about every day all running this race. There are also a lot of families running together and it was fun to be out there with my son. He totally smoked me, by the way, but he waited at the finish line and cheered me in (and to be fair, he asked if it was ok before he took off).

Tell me something about your week.

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Filed Under: Canton Fall Classic, half marathon training, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Just a little tired

October 23, 2016 by 28 Comments

Happy Sunday all!

I have been enjoying a much needed, and rare, lazy Sunday. This was one of those weeks where I felt like I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It was a week that included feeling less than fabulous, one kid home sick from school, school events, parent teacher conferences, a big work event, and managing the usual shuttling of kids here and there. And, yes there was training mixed in there, too. I am t-i-r-e-d y’all! Today provided a much needed break.

Monday: While I woke up not feeling all that great, I kicked the week off with some early morning miles. – 3 miles done.

early-morning

Moon wasn’t ready to head to bed

Tuesday:  The blech I was feeling on Monday got worse and I couldn’t get my head off the pillow for my run. My oldest was also down and stayed home from school. Missed my tempo run and spent the day on the couch.

Wednesday: Strength day – glutes, hips and abs were the focus.

Thursday: Time to get running again – an easy 5K done.

Friday: With a big event for work planned for Saturday, I opted to get my long run done on Friday instead. I’ve been exploring new fueling options and with double digits on tap it seemed like a good time to try Tailwind Nutrition I had ordered last week. The humidity was back with a vengeance (dew point of 85!), but I got 10 miles in, and I’m happy to say Tailwind agreed with my stomach and my energy level felt pretty good…I’m cautiously optimistic.

recovery

I must say it was kinda of nice having my long run out of the way before the weekend got going. We went to a school performance for my youngest son and then it was a quiet evening on the couch 🙂

Saturday: Ran the 4 miles that was originally on my plan for Friday. My legs felt really heavy and 95% humidity didn’t help. There was a flurry of kids activities and sports to shuttle between and I short-changed my post-run rolling. By halfway through the evening event, my legs were really talking back to me! (Didn’t help that I chose to wear heels – what was I thinking?!)

The upcoming week looks to be equally chaotic, and I know I’ve got to do a better job of being kind to my legs. I’ll be running a local 5K with my son next weekend, which should be a lot of fun!

As always, I’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training, life happenings, motivation and encouragement.

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Filed Under: half marathon training, Weekly Wrap