Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 Things)

March 14, 2013 by 4 Comments

Returning to Running

After Sunday’s not-so-long long run, Coach Bennett insisted on 3 days of no running. Cross-training yes, strength training yes, but no running. Of course, Mother Nature decided to serve up some of the best weather days of the month so far – but I left my running shoes in the closet and stuck to my strength work and walking my dog. But today I get to run, and despite the crazy drop in temps, I’m going!

Newport 10 Miler

 

More Race Shopping

Well now that I’m not running the New Bedford Half this weekend, I want to find another race of a decent distance this spring before Boston’s Run to Remember at the end of May. A ten miler would be perfect and I think I may have found the race!  It’s at the end of April so the timing is perfect. I’m going to see how cooperative my ITB is over the next couple of weeks, but I’m tentatively penciling this one in 🙂

 

ZOOMA Ambassador

ZOOMA logo_capecod

I’m very happy to say that once again I been selected as a race ambassador for the ZOOMA race series. I was an ambassador for their inaugural race in Falmouth, MA  last fall and had so much fun! I’m very excited to be part of such a great group of women when they return to Cape Cod in September! So stay tuned, much more fun stuff on this to come!

 

 

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Filed Under: 3 things, Boston's Run to Remember, ITB, New Bedford Half, Newport 10 Miler, race shopping, ZOOMA Cape Cod

Change in race plans

March 11, 2013 by 6 Comments

Black ice and an already tweaky knee quickly turned a 10 mile run in to 3 miles yesterday morning. I was lucky to not fall but the slide aggravated an already cranky left ITB/knee. I was only a mile and a half into my run when it happened and this little voice in my head said don’t push it…go home. Usually I’m fairly stubborn and would have kept going, but this time I think I made the right call.

I have been quietly agonizing for the last couple of days over the question of whether or not to run the New Bedford Half next Sunday. That same little voice I heard out on the road today is the same voice that has been getting increasingly louder over the past two weeks questioning whether running New Bedford is a good idea. Despite it not being a goal race, the truth is I am not where I’d like to be going into a race – and slogging through a race just for the sake of saying I finished it sounds really unappealing! Nor do I think it makes sense to push this knee/ITB and jeopardize the rest of my spring races and beyond.

I had this race on my calendar for two reasons – as a check in to see where I am in my training and because it’s suppose to be a fun, well-run race. Well I think I have my answer to where I am right now and as I said, the fun will quickly be negated if I’m out there slogging along.

So after an email exchange with Coach Bennett I’ve decided I will not be toeing the line next weekend. Still hard for me to type that, but I know it’s the right choice.

Have you ever gone through with a race when you know you shouldn’t have?

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Filed Under: choices, ITB, listening to your body, New Bedford Half, to race or not

Why I Meditate

March 6, 2013 by 16 Comments

From time to time, I have mentioned here and on Twitter that I meditate, and I’ve noticed that whenever I do I receive lots of inquiries about why I do it? Do I see any real benefits? Or, comments indicating that others would like to do it but don’t have the time, or have tried and failed.

Meditation

For me, meditation gives me a chance to connect with myself before the demands of the day take hold. When I meditate I’m calmer, more grounded, and as a result, more present in the moment.

Notice I said when I meditate – I’ve fallen off the mediation bandwagon on a couple of occasions, usually because I’ve gotten caught up in the whirlwind of schedules and have made the decision that “I don’t have time” or “I’ll do it later” only to never get to it. And, little by little, my meditation “practice” is more of a random occurrence and then before you know it I’m staring at the back of the meditation bandwagon as it pulls further and further away from me.

I recommitted to meditating at the beginning of December – thinking it was good timing with the holidays approaching, and for the most part I’ve been fairly consistent. I’m motivated to stay with it because I like how I feel and how I deal with things when I do. Now am I going to tell you I’m all roses and sunshine and the picture of zen? Nope – it is a work in progress, but I like the direction I’m headed.

I got an email the other day from the Chopra Center announcing another of their 21-day Meditation Challenges. The theme this time is “Perfect Health.” I’ve found these challenges to be a great launching point for starting a practice and encourage anyone who’s interested in giving meditation a try, to check this out – it starts on Monday, March 11th. (For the record I’m in no way affiliated with the Chopra Center – just a fan sharing the love 🙂 )

Do you meditate?

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Filed Under: Chopra Center, meditation

February Buh bye

March 1, 2013 by 5 Comments
Good things for February:
  • Started working with Coach Bennett again!
  • Ran the Frosty Virtual 5K
  • Started the 30-day ab/core challenge
  • Enjoying my new gym, despite too many runs on the ‘mill
  • Unveiled the blog’s new look!
Things I could do without:
  • Snow, snow and more snow!
  • Mileage shrinkage (see above)
  • Wampanoag 10-miler canceled (again thanks to snow)

What’s up for March:

  • Really looking forward to more miles – outdoors! March can be fairly rainy in New England, but I’ll take it over the frigid and snowy conditions we had in February!
  • NBHalf I’m looking forward to running the New Bedford Half in a couple of weeks! While I did have a little freak out over the fact that this race is just a couple of weeks away and my mileage has been down, Coach Bennett was quick to remind me that this is not a goal race – that I’m running it just to see where I am in my training. I’ve also heard that this is a fun race with great crowd support which makes it a win!
  • As I mentioned yesterday, focusing in on my nutrition — Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? I just heard that…so my timing’s perfect 🙂
How’d your February go?  Are you as ready to say buh bye to the month as I am?

 

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Filed Under: half marathon training, mileage shrinkage, month in review, New Bedford Half, Nutrition, weather

Running and eating

February 28, 2013 by 8 Comments

One of my goals for 2013 is to set back and take a hard look at my nutrition. As I have said before while I don’t eat a lot of junk, I know there’s room for some improvement. Lately, I’ve been feeling really sluggish during my runs – this morning’s slogfest was a perfect example!  I need to not only re-examine what works best as fuel during my runs, but look at what I’m eating both before and after a run – not to mention what I’m eating on rest days.

This isn’t about dieting per se (though I am about 6 pounds above “fighting weight” at the moment) – it’s really about fueling my body for optimum health.  So it’s time to do some research  like testing out fueling options to see beyond whether or not they agree with my stomach to whether they’re actually providing real benefit. It’s time to do some reading, try out some new recipes and make some shifts in my overall diet.

My brother-in-law gave me Scott Jurek’s Eat & Run – which I have been dying to read and now seems like a good time to start. I’ll also be posting more regularly about nutrition – what’s working and what’s not and hope you’ll share tips and tricks that work for you.

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Filed Under: food, fueling a run, goals, new perspective, Scott Jurek

Race #1 Done, 12 to go

February 25, 2013 by 10 Comments

The Frosty Virtual 5K/10K/Half was benefiting the American Cancer Society – a cause I was very happy to support.  I lost both my grandmothers to cancer and both of those amazing women were on my mind Saturday morning.

Frosty 5kI stuck to my plan and got out early to run my 5K to beat the predicted snow storm and my son’s hockey game – the snow turned out to be nothing, but it was fun watching my son have one of his best games in his team’s win!

My running buddy E was heading out for 8 so we set out and ran the first mile together. I settled into a comfortable pace – not looking for a PR, just a good solid run and to enjoy a rare day of  no wind nor frigid temps.  Once I hit the distance, I decided to re-trace my route so I could get at least 6 miles in.

Thanks again to Jospehine over at Plant-based Runner for hosting this race.  She raised $1,000 for the American Cancer Society and even provided all of us with medals! She’s got some other races planned so be sure to check her out her blog.

Week 2 of half marathon training is done, school vacation week is over and it’s time to get more focused! Still in base-building phase, so this upcoming week looks like this:

Monday – 6 miles on a hilly route

Tuesday – Cross-training — Haven’t decided what I’ll do yet, but I may break out Jillian Michael’s 30-day Shred

Wednesday – Rest

Thursday – 8 miles with 5 at tempo pace and my 2 hr killer yoga class

Friday – Rest

Saturday – 10 mile LSD

Sunday – More cross-training

I’m also still working on the 30-day ab/core challenge – just 15 minutes a day to build a stronger core. It looks like the weather gods should cooperate this week and I’m looking forward to staying off the ‘mill and being outside!

What have you got planned for this week?

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Filed Under: #13in2013, core work, half marathon training, virtual race

Here we go again

February 22, 2013 by 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! tired20of20snow

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?

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

The race that didn’t happen

February 18, 2013 by 8 Comments

So Mother Nature was in a mood this weekend and Sunday’s race didn’t happen. When a race director describes the conditions as “treacherous” thanks to a combination of a couple of inches of snow and 45 mph winds – I’m good with the decision to postpone the race.

What I was not good with was the email from the race director I received later that said they were not going to reschedule (as they had originally announced), but instead cancel the race! I think if you’re going to host a race in New England in February you should have contingency plans in place that account for the weather. Leaving 1,000 runners with no alternative but a $10 off next year’s registration didn’t sit well with me… and I told the director as much.  I was not looking for a refund but a good faith effort to move forward with the race and I’m just not certain that every effort was made to find a way to reschedule the race in the few hours that passed between the decision to postpone and the decision to cancel.

I’ve had a race postponed due to weather safety issues before and I remember how thrilled all of us runners were when the race was rescheduled – it was a great day out on the course and the runners literally applauded the race director and volunteers for getting it done. Needless to say I returned to run that race again the following year.

Have you ever had a race canceled? How did you feel about it?

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Filed Under: Old-fashioned 10 Miler, race, to race or not, weather

First race this weekend!

February 15, 2013 by 3 Comments

My first race of 2013 is Sunday – the Wampanoag Old-Fashioned 10 Miler.

2012-OFTM Logo (Small)

(Yes this is last year’s poster)

I ran this race last year with my husband J as a tune up to the RnR USA half marathon. It was a fun race on a nice course and right after the race I pretty much decided that I would run it again this year.

I like the timing of this race – it has kept me motivated to keep hitting some double digit runs post-holidays…something that, given the frigid temps and snowy conditions we’ve had, I have definitely needed. I’m so psyched my friend E will be running this one with me — this will be her first 10 mile race! It’s suppose to snow Saturday night so it could make for interesting conditions. We’ll be keeping our goals pretty flexible and see what the course gives us….and, of course, have fun!

Anyone else racing this weekend?

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Filed Under: #13in2013, Old-fashioned 10 Miler, race

For the love of the run

February 13, 2013 by 5 Comments

RunningHeart2

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, David & Scott over at RunChat are once again encouraging runners to share what they love about running. I participated last year and it’s fun to go back and see the 10 reasons I posted then — I would say none of those reasons have changed.

A relationship with running ebbs and flows, has its highs and lows – at any time your answer to the question “What do you love about running?” can be different. Right now, I love to run because:

— it has taught me to have more patience with myself

— it continues to show me that I am stronger than I think I am

— it keeps me balanced – it truly is good for my soul

— it reminds me that I can redefine what’s possible

 

What is it that you love about running?

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Filed Under: gift of running