Friday Five – Favorite Fall Activities

September 25, 2015 by 11 Comments

Hello Friday!

I don’t know about you, but it’s been one l-o-n-g week and I am so happy to see Friday! Fall weather rolled in nicely this week and it looks like a beautiful weekend  ahead. When I don’t have to be inside for my son’s hockey game or practices, I plan to be out making the most of it.

Courtney, Mar and Cynthia are asking everyone to share their favorite fall activities for this week’s #FridayFive – well I could go on and about my love for the fall, but here are a few things that definitely top my list:

fall faves

 

  • Hiking — Hiking is a favorite family activity. We are lucky enough to have some great trails within a short drive from our house. I love that the whole family gets out together – even our dog. And, with the fall foliage as a backdrop, you can’t ask for a more perfect way to spend an afternoon.
  • Apple Picking — Another family fave is apple picking. We’ve gone every year since the boys were really little. In fact, we’re toying with going this weekend! It just doesn’t seem like fall until we’ve hit our favorite orchard.
  • Cooking — After spending most of every summer living off the grill, I really enjoy getting back in my kitchen to do some cooking. I just watched the season finale of Master Chef and am inspired to get back to trying some new recipes!
  • Football — I am a huge football fan and I love that the fall means the return of watching and attending football games.
  • Running and racing — While I am missing  running terribly right now, I couldn’t put a top 5 list together and not include it!

What’s your favorite fall activity?

signature
Filed Under: fave things, Friday Five

Running Must Haves

September 22, 2015 by 13 Comments

Joining up with Erika, April, and Patty again for today’s Tuesdays on the Run topic “I won’t run without…” While I have been know to occasionally run “naked” – leaving the Garmin in the drawer, there are some items I just must have when I step out the door.

Beyond my running shoes and a good sports bra 😉 I won’t run without my…

iPhone – it’s both for safety, since I do the majority of my runs alone, and for music – I do love my tunes!

Earbuds – Can’t have tunes without a pair of earbuds. I’ve mentioned my Koss FitClips (affiliate link) on a couple of occasions – they continue to be my faves (you can check out my review of them here).

SPI Belt – I love my SPI belt (affiliate link)! It holds my phone, gels and a car key if necessary, without feeling bulky.

Hat or Visor – I’m not a fan of the sun in my face, so I usually run in a hat – when I don’t sunglasses are a must!

Are you a creature of habit? What are your running must haves?

Tuesdays-on-the-run

 

 

signature
Filed Under: Koss Fit Series, Tuesdays on the Run

Thursday Thoughts – the non-run edition

September 17, 2015 by 8 Comments

told cant run

My running is still on hold….

I swear the minute you’re told you can’t run, the weather seems to be perfect and it feels like there are runners everywhere.

I’ve been trying to take advantage of my “free” time to get more yoga in – there’s no “yoga high,” but I’m sure my hamstrings will thank me.

I’m also refocusing my time on house projects and getting the paper creep under control. School has only been back in session a few weeks and I can no longer see my kitchen counter. Paper clutter

How do you keep yourself occupied when you can’t run?

I’m linking up again with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud  Thinking-Out-Loud2

signature
Filed Under: Uncategorized

My “no running” week

September 14, 2015 by 19 Comments

“You need to take this week off from running.” – never the words you want to hear from a doctor. But that’s exactly what I was told last week.

no running

Let me back up a bit… a week ago Saturday I went out for a run with my hubs J. Despite the fact that it was a rare cool morning, with low humidity I struggled to get my breathing under control – something was clearly off. And, truthfully, I’ve been feeling off for a bit…really tired, low energy, laboring through my runs. This couldn’t all be about lack of running mojo, motivation or just the heat and humidity.

So I went to the doctor and insisted on a work up – and believe me I had to get pushy! But I got a full blood work-up and an EKG. The results – all is good except for iron deficiency anemia. My counts were very low thanks to my crazy irregular cycle and heavy periods – of the joys of perimenopause (not!) As my doctor explained, it looks like my body’s been “coping” for a while, but now has reach a point where it can’t cope any more. And, eating iron-rich foods alone are not going to do the trick – I need the boost from iron supplements. So I was told to start the iron pills and lay off the running to give my body a few days to start to bounce back. Not ideal, but at least I have an answer and a plan.

OK so here comes my public service announcement – if you’re feeling really “off,” don’t be quick to just chalking it up to a lack of motivation, the weather, etc. – listen to your body! If you do think you’re anemic, it’s best not to just start taking iron pills on your own – go see you doctor first! And, don’t take “well everybody’s tired”as an answer – Advocate for yourself!

After spending last week focusing only on planks and some low-key core and strength work, I’m itching to get back to running and hoping I get cleared to go this week.

Have you ever an iron deficiency?

signature
Filed Under: anemia, listening to your body

Running Pet Peeves

September 8, 2015 by 13 Comments

Erika, Patty and April are inviting us to dish on some of our running pet peeves for this week’s Tuesdays on the Run. From sidewalk hogs to clueless drivers, you know you’ve got one or two 🙂 Here are some of mine:

pet-peeves

Runners who don’t acknowledge — I get that we all have moments where we’re pushing hard and are in the zone, but really is it so hard to raise a hand, nod, etc. when another runner greets you?

Rolling through right on red — I have had one too many close calls with drivers who come rolling through a red light to make a right turn without looking.

Waiting for a satellite — I’ve mentioned more than once lately that my Forerunner 10 is bumming me out lately with it’s inability to find a satellite. It can be frustrating to be ready to run and your watch is not! (I’ve been trying to use the time productively by getting in some dynamic stretches.)

Being told by non-runners that I should stop running — After running for 5 years, I’m still amazed by the number of non-runners who are quick to tell me that running is bad for my knees, back, etc. Really? I would never imagine sharing unsolicited advice about a sport that someone is clearly passionate about, would you?

Treadmill grunting — You knew I’d include a gym crazy here 🙂 My new fave at the gym is a treadmill grunter. Again, I have much respect for putting in a hard effort, but if I can hear you over my music….

What are some of your running pet peeves?

signature
Filed Under: general musings, pet peeves, Tuesdays on the Run

September’s Ultimate Coffee Date

September 5, 2015 by 13 Comments

The Ultimate Coffee Date

Happy Labor Day Weekend! It’s the unofficial last weekend of summer, but I must say it feels a little odd since school’s already started for my youngest son. Then again, it’s a long weekend and that’s always a good thing, right? So I’m taking a little time out this morning to join in with Coco, Lynda and Deborah for this month’s Ultimate Coffee Date.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that believe it or not, my youngest son’s hockey season has already begun! And he’ll be on the ice until at least April.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that meanwhile my oldest son has made me a little giddy by announcing he’s decided to run cross country this fall 🙂

PatriotsIf we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I cannot wait for football season to kick off this Thursday night with the raising of another Super Bowl banner! I don’t want to hear another word about the supposed “deflategate.”

WomensRunningIf we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I came home the other day to a nice surprise from Women’s Running Magazine and the Rock ‘n’ Roll folks – another fun perk as a member of the #RocknBlog team! Women’s Running is also offering all RWA readers a 1-year subscription for just $9.99 – just use code RUNATTITUDE015.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’d better get going – we’re celebrating my dad’s 75th birthday and I still have food to prep!

So what would you tell me? What have you got planned for this weekend?

signature
Filed Under: #RocknBlog, football, Ultimate coffee date, Women's Running Magazine

Fall Racing – A Moving Target

September 4, 2015 by 8 Comments

When I saw that this week’s #FridayFive link-up topic was Fall Races, I was tempted to skip posting. Racing has been such a moving target for me, between injury and conflicts with my family schedule, that I’m almost hesitant to count any race as a sure thing at this point. But, if you’ve been around here for a bit then you also know how much I love a fall race….so here’s what I’m hoping for at the moment.

1) #StripAtNight 

RnB15_LasVegas

This is my one and only definite race…well it’s actually two because I’ll be doing the Remix Challenge (5K and Half). My husband and brother are running with me, and I just saw friends yesterday who confirmed they’re in! I’ve been waiting all year to get to a Rock ‘n’ Roll race as part of the Rock’n’Blog team – and, well c’mon it’s Vegas! And, speaking of the Rock’n’Blog team, we were just given special codes for a Vegas discount – use code RUNATTITUDE015LV and you can do either the half or the full for $145!

2) Still Rockin’ — Staying with the Rock ‘n’ Roll theme for a minute, I’m still hoping to get to RnR Philly at the end of October, but family conflicts are starting to crop up from all sides…keep my fingers crossed. But, if schedules don’t work, then I’ll be looking at finishing up my 3-race Tour Pass by heading to San Antonio for #RnRSA the first week of December.

3) Tufts 10K for Women is one of my favorite Boston races. It’s always held on Columbus Day, which means it could potentially come in conflict with the boys’ sports schedules/tournaments – it’s happened before, but if I’m free this is always a great race!

4) Canton Fall Classic is another local favorite – I usually run the 5K and my husband J runs the 10K. My son is thinking about running it this year…so once again as long as schedules don’t collide, this could be a family race.

Jingle+Bell+15) Jingle Bell Run — OK this one may technically be a “winter” race as some years it falls on the weekend before Christmas. As you can see from the picture of my brother and I on race morning, this one’s all for the costumes and post-race beer fest. (And, yes that is a giant ball of mistletoe on his hat!) 🙂

Do you find your race schedule is pretty well set or is it a moving target?

(As part of the Rock’n’Blog team, I receive a 3-race Tour Pass. If you want to add a RnR race to your fall schedule, don’t forget to use my code on my sidebar for a discount (or the code above for Vegas!)

I’m linking up with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia – be sure to stop by to check out where they’ll be racing this fall!

 

 

signature
Filed Under: #RocknBlog, #StripAtNight, Canton Fall Classic, fall racing, family running, Friday Five, Jingle Bell Run, RnRPhilly

September Simplicity

September 1, 2015 by 10 Comments

It’s September 1 and fall can’t be far away – though Mother Nature is once again thumbing her nose at the calendar with the return of heat and humidity this week. No matter, September signals the start of my favorite time of the year and I’m ready to embrace it!

September peanuts1

My September goals are really quite simple:

– consistently run 3 -4 days a week with 2 days strength work

– return to double digit long runs

– wrap-up my physical therapy sessions

– let go of the stress

Yeah that last one is the key. I admitted in my runfessions that my running is stressing me out. And, when I stopped to think about that, it is insane to me that something that usually is a stress-reliever for me is turning into the complete opposite.

Time to let it go – the days are going to count down towards my next race whether I stress about it or not, right? So why waste the energy…and why let it take the joy out of running?

So I’m keeping it simple in September.

What are your goals for the month? Does your running ever stress you out?

signature
Filed Under: attitude adjustment, goals

August Runfessions

August 28, 2015 by 17 Comments

I’ve missed the past couple of Runfession Fridays, but I’m happy to be linking up with Marcia today! Time to cleanse my sweaty soul. Who’s in?

rp_Runfessions-300x294.jpg

Runfession #1 –– My running is stressing me out! While I am thrilled to be running again, both my progress and my pace are slow and I’m feeling like the calendar is my enemy – 63 days til RnR Philly.

Runfession #2 —  The recent killer humidity (like 97%) has pushed me off the early morning run bandwagon and back into the gym. Everyone has their breaking point and 97% by 6 a.m. is mine!

Runfession #3 — The gym has been uber-quite lately and I must admit I miss the gym crazies.

Runfession #4 — I mentioned the other day how much I’m enjoying my new FitBit, but I have to say I’m a little horrified at my low step count on non-running days. With my hectic work schedule of late, I am clearly sitting in front of my computer far too much.  Nothing like those little glowing numbers staring you in the face for some extra motivation – must.move.more.

OK – now it’s your turn. What are your runfessions?

signature
Filed Under: gym crazies, RnRPhilly, Runfessions

Lovin’/Not Lovin’ – Summer Edition

August 26, 2015 by 16 Comments

I realized the other day that I haven’t done one of these types of posts since the spring so now seemed like a good time to share some of my fave…and not fave…things at the moment.

Lovin’

Brooks hatBrooks Running Hat — I received this hat as part of an awesome #TrainingRockBox that Rock ‘n’ Roll and their sponsors sent out to all of the Rock’n’Blog team – and it’s become an instant fave. I don’t think this picture does the hat justice – it’s a cute mix of purples and blues and has great mesh venting on the sides and even a zipper pocket!

LarabarLarabar Apple Pie — Apples, nuts, spiced with a little cinnamon – what’s not to love? Especially in these little bites.

FitBit

 

FitBit Charge HR — I got a FitBit for my birthday and have been having a lot of fun playing with it these past couple of weeks. (I may do a full review after I’ve had a chance to wear it for a while.)

ZealotsSaucony Zealot ISOs — Back in June I mentioned that I was going to give these shoes a try – and so far I’ve been really happy with them. As promised, the Zealot ISOs are light weight and have a similar ride to the Kinvara, but with much more cushioning – which my legs seem to appreciate lately.

Not Lovin’

Forerunner 10 — My Forerunner woes continue – It still seems to take forever to find a signal, and now it’s new glitch is the auto pause – it stays paused well after I’ve made it pass a traffic light…and the other day, it paused on its own. Needless to say, I’ve turned the function off. Back to customer support…

So tell me – what are you lovin’ lately?

signature
Filed Under: #RocknBlog, #TrainingRockBox, fave things, Garmin, Saucony