football

September’s Ultimate Coffee Date

September 5, 2015 by Michelle 13 Comments

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 🙂

If 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.”

If 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?

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

Friday Five: Fall Preview

August 29, 2014 by Michelle 13 Comments

I cannot believe this is the last Friday of the month – and with school starting for my boys next week, it’s really the last Friday of the summer! While it has been a wonderful summer – I am a Fall girl and love that my favorite time of the year is just around the corner!

So much to look forward to this fall, including….

Cooler Temps — While it wasn’t as brutally hot as some past summers, I’m just much more partial to the crisp cool days of fall. I’m happiest in jeans, boots, sweater…you get the idea.

Apple Picking — One of my favorite family fall traditions!

Cooking — We pretty much live off the grill during the summer – which I must admit is largely my husband J’s domain. But once fall kicks in, I love to get back into the kitchen and dive into some of my favorite recipes and to try out some new ones!

Football — If you’ve been around here for a while then you know I’m a huge football fan and cannot wait to watch my beloved Patriots take the field.

Fall Races — Hello Philly Half! Having not done much racing this year, I’m looking forward to running 3 (maybe 4) races this fall.

I could go on and on about the good things of fall! I’m linking up with Courtney, Mar and Cynthia again this week so be sure to stop by and check them out.

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Filed Under: fall racing, fave things, football, Friday Five

Slow and steady progress

November 25, 2013 by Michelle 13 Comments

Sitting here a little bleary-eyed thanks to staying up to the wee hours of this morning to watch my beloved Patriots pull off an amazing comeback against the Broncos…so with my second mug of coffee in hand, a little randomness to start this Monday…

While making the decision to not run my half in December wasn’t easy, I must admit that the lack of pressure to hit certain paces or log enough miles has been kind of refreshing. This has been a tough fall running-wise and only now am I starting to see that I needed a break mentally as much as physically.
This past week I logged more time strength training than running – that’s a first!
Saturday was my longest run in weeks – 5 miles, including 3.1 dedicated to the Hope for the Philippines 5K. It was great to participate in this virtual run to help provide some aid to those so hard hit in the Philippines.
Saturday was also my first run with my running buddy E, who’s also been nursing an injury. I’ve missed those Saturday morning runs! We keep reminding each other that slowly but surely, we’ll build those miles up again. I’m really grateful that I have her to rely on as I try to get back into the swing of things.
Of course I’ve been looking at 2014 races and I’m getting excited for the first half of the year – could be the year of the 10-miler! (More to come on the race calendar soon)
And because I cannot resist

Filed Under: #13in2013, football, injuries, mileage shrinkage, no training plan, Patriots

Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 Things)

September 8, 2011 by Michelle 6 Comments

This morning marks Day 2 of watching the big yellow bus whisk my “baby” off to Kindergarten. Why is it that they never look smaller or more vulnerable then when they’re climbing up those bus stairs?

With both boys now on the same school schedule (cue the angels singing!), I’ve now got a big block of time for client projects, house projects…and to up the ante on my running. Following the Providence RnR, there was major mileage shrinkage in August. But let’s be honest, it wasn’t only the mileage that went down, my enthusiasm for yoga and strength training was non-existant. I was tired and I was getting my tail kicked by ragweed. I was happier just hanging out and enjoying the last weeks of the summer – cocktails were enjoyed and I pretty much ate what I wanted. But, I did jumpstart my training last week and am feel pretty good about the effort I put in. And now, I have more flexibility in getting my workouts in, so I’m expecting big things for this month!

With the weather faucet in what seems like the permanent “on” position, I’m fully embracing the treadmill. I have been known to whine in the past about the ‘mill, but I’ve decided I need to change my attitude. So when I hit the gym now I remind myself to be grateful that I have an alternative to pounding the pavement in sloshy running shoes. The attitude adjustment helps – the runs haven’t felt like such a chore, and I actually like doing my hill work on the ‘mill. Besides, it all gives me a chance to get my fill of ESPN and all things football!

Season kicks off tonight – Go Saints!

Filed Under: 3 things, back to school, football, mileage shrinkage, treadmill run

Just Stylin’

February 12, 2011 by Michelle 5 Comments

The lovely Kittee over at Running Half Crazy was sweet enough to bestow this lovely award on me. Now many of you have seen this so you know the rules:

Make a post and link back to the person who tagged you. – If you have not checked out Kittee’s blog, please stop by and say hi!
Share 7 things about yourself
Pass the award along to 7 other bloggers

Hmm…ok…so 7 things about me….

I’m mom to two little boys who are really quite the characters and keep me on my toes. It’s funny I always knew that I would be mom to boys. And, I’m accepting the fact that my house will never be quiet!
I love food! I love to cook and I love to eat. Sharing a great meal with family and friends and lots of wine is a perfect evening!
I use to own a artisan olive oil company. I love running my own business and given that I’ve lost my “self-edit” button it’s probably better that I work for myself. I’m looking for my next biz idea.
I’m a huge football fan – my hubs actually gave me tickets to see my favorite football team as an anniversary gift (at the time the 49ers in Candlestick) – still one of the best gifts ever 🙂
I’m an avid reader – though at the moment I’m way behind on my reading wish list.
I love to decorate – a wall of paint samples can seriously make me giddy!
And, yes Emz, I did play rubgy. I played in college first as a hooker (my parents are so proud!) and then I quickly wised up and got out of the scrum to play fly-half. You gotta love a sport where you beat the tar out of each other and then share a beer or two (or twelve!)

Now to pass this on…since many of you have already received this award and because I have too many favorites I’m breaking the rules and I’m not going to pick. But if you haven’t played yet and want to, consider yourself tagged!

Have a Great Weekend!!

Filed Under: awards, food, football, general musings, kids

Sunday 7

January 23, 2011 by Michelle 8 Comments

Ran 7 miles this morning – first time I’ve seen this distance in a while thanks to my irritable ITB. The 4…yes 4 on the thermometer also meant this was to be a new distance on my new BFF the ‘mill. Well, what can I say…7 miles is a long time to be on the treadmill. I mean seriously, how much Sports Center can a girl watch? At least, watching with the sound off and my music on meant I didn’t have to listen Rex Ryan – I’m a Patriots fan after all…and yes I’m still bitter about last Sunday’s loss!

Having now watched the ChiRunning DVD a couple of times, I tried to take today’s run a little slower and focus on maintaining my posture. It’s amazing how many times I caught myself slumping. There a couple of different “body focuses” in ChiRunning and it’s definitely going to take a little time to master all of them, but I’m going to give it a shot and see what kind of results I get. I’ll update more as I go along.

For now, I’m off to an afternoon of Wii games with the kids and some football – bitterly rooting for the Steelers! 😉

Filed Under: ChiRunning, football, treadmill run