Chicago Week 4: Who turned on the furnace?!

July 7, 2019 by 32 Comments

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So summer weather showed up in full force this week. Heat and humidity were on a constant high. But, until I can figure out how to train for a fall race without running during the summer, there was no choice but to get out there. Here’s how Week 4 went down.

 Chicago Marathon Training Week 4

Monday – Rest day.

Tuesday – 4-mile run.  It was tempting to sleep through my alarm since my pup had decided to alert the whole house about something he’d spotted in our yard around 3 a.m., but it wasn’t too bad once I got out the door.

Wednesday – 5-mile run. Humidity levels hit 83% – just why?!

Thursday – Spent the morning getting plants into the garden, before enjoying the holiday with family.

Friday – Strength training. I have been slacking on strength training lately so it felt good to get this one in. I had planned to hit the gym but at the last moment decided to take my workout to my back deck instead before it got too hot.

Saturday – 7-mile run. This run was such a battle both mentally and physically – just so freaking hot! It was one of those runs where you knew before you even stepped out the door that it was going to be a rough one. I had wanted more miles but considered it a win to get the 7. I’m so glad my husband J joined me – we really kept each other going!

Sunday – 3-mile shakeout run. Mercifully, the humidity broke!

Total miles for the week – 19

While my total mileage was not as high as I would have liked, the weather forecast is looking a bit better for the week ahead so that should help. I am happy that I got some strength training in,

Testing New Gear

After runfessing that I need to figure out my hydration plan for Chicago, I did some research and ordered a new handheld – the Nathan SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flask.

And, since I’ve struggled with carrying a handheld in the past, I also decided to order a new fuel belt to test – Nathan Peak Insulated Waist Pack.                         I got to run with them once each this past week and will keep using them on runs over the next couple of weeks to see if one emerges as the favorite.

How was your week? Do you run with a handheld, belt or vest?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

In case you missed it:  Recapping the BAA 10K over coffee

 

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Filed Under: marathon training, Nathan hydration belt, Summer running, Weekly Run Down

Recapping the BAA 10K over coffee

July 5, 2019 by 22 Comments

I hope everyone (in the States) had a great 4th! I was so happy to get to this extended long weekend to just kick back and unwind a little. So as I laze away on my deck, it seems like the perfect time to join Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date!

Recapping the BAA 10K over Coffee

Over coffee, I would tell you that I cannot believe that it’s been almost two weeks since I ran the BAA 10K! I know, I know, how many times can I mention how fast time is flying by? But it really is!

Over coffee, I would tell you that my goals were simple – beat last year’s time, conquer the long hill through Boston University’s campus, and have fun! Check, check, and check! Given how cool, rainy, and mild the temps had been, the heat on race day was super tough – especially with so little shade on the course. So my brother and decided to walk each water stop (thankfully there was one every mile!) and just try to keep a nice steady pace. We did see a couple of people go down around mile 4 – the heat was no joke!

Over coffee, I would tell you to run this race if you get the chance! It is super well-organized, and even with 10,000 runners, it never felt too crowded. The volunteers, especially at the water stops, were awesome and super encouraging! And the course itself is a great little out and back tour of Boston’s Back Bay, Kenmore Square, and part of the BU campus. The Boston Athletic Association always puts on a great race and this one did not disappoint.

Great to see Jose from @Andsoitburns working one of the water stops!

Over coffee, I would tell you that I had so much fun running this race with my brother! When we did this race last year, I was seriously hobbled and had urged him to run ahead and not let me hold him back – so it was especially enjoyable to run together this year. This was my third time running this race and I’ve already got it penciled in for next year!

Do you have races you love to run again and again? What would you tell me over coffee?

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Filed Under: BAA, race report, Ultimate coffee date

Week 3 & a Mid-Year Check-in

June 30, 2019 by 20 Comments

Is anyone else amazed by the fact that we are halfway through the year? Yep, 6 months down and 6 months to go. It feels like the perfect time to reflect on how I’m progressing with my fitness goals – and to adjust as necessary.

But first, a quick review of the week that was.

Chicago Marathon Training – Week 3

Monday – The training plan said 5 miles but coming off my 10K the day before, my legs voted that idea down in a hurry! So rest day it was.

Tuesday – The combination of humidity & tired legs made this 5-miler a fight from start to finish.

Wednesday – Yoga

Thursday – 5 miles of intervals with Coach Marc. Challenging but this run felt great and it was nice to see paces I haven’t seen in quite a while!

Friday – Rest

Saturday – Strength workout in the form of gardening. A few hours of weeding and transplanting in ridiculous humidity provided a good total body workout.

Sunday – 8-mile run. My husband J and I decided to meet up with my brother for a run. We decided to check out the course for our upcoming 10K and I added on a couple of extra miles on the end.

Total miles for the week – 18

Overall it was a good week and I’m especially happy with the way my first speedwork played out. I finished June with 74 miles.

Mid-Year Check-in

At the beginning of the year, I highlighted 4 goals:

  • Run a marathon
  • Stay off injured-reserve
  • Make sleep a priority
  • Mind what I’m eating

So far I feel like I’m on track. I’ve managed to avoid injury and I think I’m doing a pretty good job of being mindful of what I’m consuming. And…of course, marathon training is underway!

Sleep has been the biggest challenge for most of the year, but I’m starting to feel like I’m slowly turning a corner. I’ve made more of a commitment to skip late-night TV (sorry Daily Show!) and we recently retired our old mattress set for a glorious new one. Baby steps…but every little bit helps.

As I dive into the second half of the year and push for the marathon, the focus on staying injury-free via strength training, making good nutrition choices, and chasing those all-important ZZZs will continue to be important goals for me.

How did the first half of 2019 treat you? Are you on track with your goals?

I linking up Deborah and Kim for Weekly Run Down link-up.

And, with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, goals, marathon training, Tuesday Topics, Weekly Run Down

June Runfessions

June 28, 2019 by 24 Comments

Happy Friday!

The days are just rolling along and here we are once again at the last Friday of the month. Time to join Marcia for a few Runfessions!

It's Friday and I'm joining @teamarcia for the Runfession link-up! #running #runchat #runfessions Share on X

June Runfessions

I runfess that I miss hitting things! While I loved my kickboxing classes, I didn’t love how rarely I was able to make my schedule align with the studio class schedule, and with it all of the money I was wasting on my monthly membership. I recently pulled the plug on the membership, but there have been many days lately where I could really use a punching bag!

As if the Universe can sense my need to channel my energy, I keep seeing ads for Fight Camp. I runfess I’m intrigued and trying to figure out where in my house I could put this!

I runfess that I’m almost afraid to say it out loud but running and I are BFFs again. Yes, the on again, off again humidity is making it tough to acclimate and I definitely have a beef with Mother Nature over her schizophrenic behavior. But weather aside, running and I are getting along just fine.

At least this month!

I runfess that the one thing that is stressing me out about my runs right now is how to navigate my hydration. As you all know I’m a Tailwind ambassador and I just love the stuff – no tummy trouble what so ever. The downside is Gatorade dominates most road races, and will be the drink of choice at Chicago. So, if I want to run with Tailwind I’m going to have to decide how to carry it. Any suggestions?

What are you runfessing this month?

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Filed Under: hydration, Runfessions

Chicago Marathon Training Week 2

June 23, 2019 by 26 Comments

I swear I blinked and this week disappeared! For as crazy as I thought last week was leading up to my big event for work, sometimes post-event can be even more hectic! So last week’s theme of long days continued, but so did the workouts.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 2

Monday – 3-mile run. The humidity hit with a vengeance and 3 miles felt like forever!

Don’t let the smile fool you!

Tuesday – After 4 straight days of running and event planning, my body was waving the white flag so this was a rest day.

Wednesday – 4-mile run. The humidity continued to be oppressive – too much to take the pup along, but he was happy to greet me afterward.

Thursday – Yoga & a much-needed trip to the massage therapist. I had started to feel a little niggle in my hip after Wednesday’s run so I was happy I already had the massage scheduled!

Friday – 8-mile run. The yoga and massage did their jobs and I was able to get my run done between rain storms.

Saturday – Rest.

Sunday – BAA 10K – Recap to come.

21.2 miles for the week. A solid week – while I missed my strength training workout, I think it was a better choice to listen to my body and take the extra rest day. Fingers-crossed this week will be a little quieter!

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

In case you missed it:  Summer Running Plans

 

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, Weekly Run Down

Summer Running Plans

June 18, 2019 by 28 Comments

Though it is clear Ma Nature has clearly not gotten the memo, summer officially kicks on Friday. While I’m usually first to whine, er…um…express my lack of enthusiasm for summer running, I’m going to do my best to embrace the season. In fact, I’ve even got a couple of races on the calendar…I know, right?! Who am I?!

2019 Summer Running Plans

Marathon Training — Well no big surprise here! First and foremost I’ll be logging summer miles with one key goal in mind: making it to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon. When dealing with challenging situations, it always helps to remember your “why”  – so when the heat and humidity become unbearable, there will be no bigger “why” for me than this one!

 BAA 10K — On Sunday I’ll be lining up with my brother once again to take on the BAA 10K. This race features a nice out and back course through the heart of Boston. We ran this race together last year, but I was seriously hobbled so it was a grin-and-bear-it affair. I’m looking forward to enjoying the run this time around.

Narragansett Running Festival – Somehow I let my brother talk me into another race – this time the Narragansett Running Festival in mid-July. There are 5K, 10K, and half marathon options, plus a “Beat the Heat Challenge” which involves running a combo of either the 5K or 10K and the half marathon on back-to-back days. While I haven’t officially registered yet, I’ll more than likely join my brother for the 10K. I’m hoping we can turn it into a family affair as my oldest son and husband are also thinking of running. There will be music and beer, and it’s a 20-minute drive from my house…so really, what’s not to love?

An August race, too? — I’m toying with the idea of going for the trifecta and running a race in August as well. While there is, of course, no shortage of 5Ks, I am intrigued by a race called Triple Threat. The Triple Threat features a 1-mile, 5K, and half marathon, with the choice of running one race or all three, back-to-back-to-back for 17.2 glorious miles along the beautiful coast of Cape Ann. I’ll have to check in with Coach Marc and see where I am with my training plan, but it could be a more interesting way to get a long run in. Plus, race day happens to fall on my birthday – a fun (or insane) way to kick off another trip around the sun!

Any races on your summer calendar? Do you use races to break up marathon training?

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: marathon training, race calendar, Summer running, Tuesday Topics

Chicago Marathon Training Week 1

June 17, 2019 by 14 Comments

Happy Monday!

Last week was just crazy – I was prepping for a major event at work which went off on Saturday. The days were long, but I’m happy to say that somehow I managed to get my runs done and the first week of marathon training is in the books!

Chicago Marathon Training Week 1

Monday – After running both Saturday and Sunday, I woke up Monday feeling very sluggish. I knew I had quite a full workday ahead so I made this a rest day.

Tuesday – Strength training (upper body)

Wednesday – 9-mile run. Given the work event I had coming up on the weekend, I decided to get my long run for the week done.

Thursday – Brief yoga session.

Friday – Spent most of the day at event set-up, but still managed to get a 6-mile run in. My legs were fried!

Saturday – Work event! I was on my feet all day playing race director. The event went really well!

Sunday – 5-mile run.

It was just me and a little wildlife on this run!

All-in-all a pretty good week! I was especially happy with the way Wednesday’s run went – while I won’t make a habit of it, I must admit it did feel nice to have the week’s long run done before the weekend.

For this coming week, I’ll be moving to up to 4 runs per week – this schedule should still give me enough time for at least one strength training day and hopefully, some time on my yoga mat.

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up – this is a great link-up for accountability and motivation so if you write a weekly training recap, be sure to join the fun!

In case you missed it:  Five Tips to Become an Early Morning Runner

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Five tips to become an early morning runner

June 11, 2019 by 54 Comments

For this week’s Tuesday Topics,  Kim and Zenaida have invited everyone to share their Summer Running Tips. For me, summer running is synonymous with early morning running!

I recently made the transition back to early runs, so I thought I’d re-share a post I did a couple of years ago offering some tips on how to become an early morning runner.

Becoming an Early Morning Runner

This post was originally published on June 23, 2017, and updated on June 11, 2019.

Now that summer is officially here, and temps are on the rise, I’m back to running early in the morning to hopefully find some of the cooler temps of the day. I’ve shared before some benefits of early morning running, so today I thought I’d share some tips on how to shift your clock to become an early morning runner.

Get some sleep: OK let’s start with the obvious – if you want to get up early, you’ve got to get your zzz’s, so of course, that means you’ve got to get to bed at a reasonable time.

Be prepared: Layout clothing and gear the night before – eliminate the need to stand in a dark closet fumbling around for something to wear or skipping a run because your Garmin is not charged!

Lose the snooze: Put your alarm clock out of reach! If you have to get up and out of bed to turn off your alarm, then you’re less likely to hit snooze.

Ease into it: And speaking of that alarm, I’d recommend starting slowly. Don’t set your alarm that first morning for o’dark thirty right off the bat. Ease your way into the early morning hours by shifting your wake-up time back over the course of several days.

Find a buddy: Knowing that someone is waiting for you will get you out of bed. You never want to leave a friend hanging.

Tips to become an early morning runner #TuesdayTopics #Runchat #SummerRunning Share on X

What’s your best tip for becoming an early morning runner?

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Filed Under: early morning runs, Friday Five, Summer running, Tuesday Topics

Let Marathon Training Begin!

June 9, 2019 by 34 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Before we get to the title of this post, let’s quickly recap the week that was. I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up – this is a great link-up for accountability and motivation so if you write a weekly training recap, be sure to join the fun!

Weekly Run Down

Monday – Rest Day.

Tuesday – I’ve been struggling with my sleep and the combination of being way overtired and a hectic workday left me desperately needing extra rest -so I listened to my body and skipped my run.

Wednesday – 4-mile run for Global Running Day, The weather was beautiful and this run felt great!

Thursday – Strength training and a visit to my massage therapist.

Friday – Rest Day

Saturday – 4-mile run. It was another gorgeous morning! I followed the run with a couple of hours of work in the garden before my quads waved the white flag.

Sunday – Another morning of beautiful weather and 5.5 miles done.

Welcome to Marathon Training

And, with this morning’s run, marathon training has begun! It’s hard to believe that 18 weeks from today is the Chicago Marathon. Running a marathon has been a goal for a while and to now be finally standing on the doorstep of training feels pretty surreal. I am both excited and terrified – here we go!

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, Weekly Run Down

June Goals and Global Running Day

June 4, 2019 by 24 Comments

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know that I like to set monthly goals. But before we dive into June plans, let’s do a quick rewind on the month that was.

May Rewind

For May I had 4 goals:

  • Keep building my base and run 75 miles
  • Prioritize rest & sleep
  • Return to early morning runs
  • Reach the starting line of the Run to Remember healthy

And, with the exception of getting more sleep, I nailed all my goals! I hit 79 miles for the month, was out the door before 6 a.m. most mornings, and happily toed the line for my half marathon. The chaos that has come to be the norm around here for the month May did nothing to help my rest and recovery, so I’m not surprised I missed the mark here, but overall I’m really happy with the way the month played out.

June Goals

Prioritize rest & sleep — OK, so let’s try this one again! With school out and more white space on the calendar, I can hopefully do much better here.

Strength Training & Daily Core — While the mileage was up last month, my strength training suffered. Marathon training starts soon so it will be more important than ever to get at least one weekly strength workout. I’m also back to daily planking for a stronger core.

Improve my cadence — Coach Marc mentioned on our last run that with my form improving, he’d like to see me now pay more attention to my cadence. I’ll be doing some runs with a metronome, which should be interesting.

Run a strong 10K — I have the BAA 10K at the end of the month. I’m not sure what the time goal will be but I’d like to feel ready to push the pace a little.

Global Running Day!

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics, and this week they’re asking everyone to share their plans for Global  Running Day. While Wednesdays are not typically a run day for me, as luck would have it I had to juggle my schedule this week so I’ll be hitting the pavement in the morning! I also plan to check out all of the race discounts that will be happening in hopes of finding a good deal on a September half marathon.

How will you celebrate Global Running Day? Have you set any June goals?

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Filed Under: Global Running Day, goals, month in review, Tuesday Topics