Monday Motivation

Week 8 and Counting

September 15, 2014 by Michelle 16 Comments

Fall weather has finally arrived! Hallelujah!

It was pretty crazy here last week as there were lots of school activities, sports practices and homework to adjust to. In between, I managed to log 23.5 miles for the week:

Monday: 5.5 miles.

Tuesday: Leg and core work.

Wednesday: Pilates Barre class.

Thursday: Hill repeats – 7 miles total.

Friday: 3 miles on an Alter G treadmill – (more on this coming in a separate post!)

Saturday: 8 miles. The plan had been to do 10, but around 6 my ITB really tightened up. I tried to run through it…but those of you who’ve dealt with cranky ITBs know that’s not how it works. I could tell my form was starting to suffer so I cut the run at 8. Lots of rolling, time in my compression shorts and some icing seemed to have helped.

Sunday: Rest day.

I know that the ITB flare up was a direct result of not following my usual recovery routine this week. I was jamming in workouts and then skipping my usual rolling, icing, and strengthening exercises. So guess what I’ll be focusing on this week 🙂

Do you have a regular recovery routine? Do you feel the effects if you skip it?

Filed Under: crazy week, half marathon training, ITB, Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

May 12, 2014 by Michelle 16 Comments

Happy Monday all!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It was a great Mother’s Day weekend here – I got to play in my garden, have lots of family time and enjoy the best (so far) weather weekend of the spring! All good stuff!

Yes there was also some running that can only be described as u-g-l-y! My long run was suppose to include 4 miles at race pace, but my legs just couldn’t get there despite how much I tried to will them (or when they did get there I couldn’t hold on). Disappointing for sure. While I have had some great speed work sessions on the track these last couple of weeks, I have yet to have that speed translate into longer runs. Clearly I still have more work to do here. But it’s a new week and so I’ll go after it again.

How was your weekend?

Are you facing any big challenges in your running right now?

Filed Under: Monday Motivation

Training check in – Persistance

March 24, 2014 by Michelle 6 Comments

Ever have one of those weeks where despite your best intentions things just don’t go as you’d hoped? Yeah well that was this past week for me from a workout perspective. And, while I did beat myself up ever so briefly yesterday, there’s no value on dwelling on the “should haves” – it’s a new week!

So the plan for this week? 29 miles running, cross-training, daily core work and rolling. Time to get after it!

Filed Under: Monday Motivation, training

Monday Motivation – Reenergized!

February 24, 2014 by Michelle 7 Comments

Hello Monday!

Maybe it’s the fact that I got not one but two runs outside this weekend but I’m feeling very re-energized this morning and looking forward to putting in a solid week of training!

My goals this week are simple — to keep this left knee happy, get 3 solid runs, daily strength and core work and at least 1 day of cross-training.

What have you got planned?

Filed Under: Monday Motivation

Make Today Count

February 10, 2014 by Michelle 9 Comments

Today I will….

…..do 45 more burpees towards my goal of 1,000

…..log 40 minutes of cross-training

…..eat mindfully

…..stretch and roll so I’m ready for tomorrow’s run

What will you do today?

Filed Under: #FFBurpee, Monday Motivation

Trying to find a groove

January 27, 2014 by Michelle 9 Comments

I’m a big believer in the power of mantras – especially during tough runs. Pushing through intervals on the ‘mill the other day this thought kept coming back to me and became my mantra du jour.

Now three weeks into the new year, I’d hope to have settled into a running groove. Instead it feels a little more like two steps forward then one step back. But as long as there is forward progress, I’ll get there!

Do you use mantras? If so, what’s working for you at the moment?

Filed Under: mantras, Monday Motivation

Motivated Monday

January 6, 2014 by Michelle 9 Comments

Enjoying a rare break from frigid temps here this morning – it’s 48 and raining but I’ll take it…temps will plummet tonight. After an extended school break thanks to the storm that hit Thursday, I must admit I was gleefully ready to send my troops out the door this morning! While we had a great break – as one mom put it to me yesterday, we’ve had “an awful lot of togetherness!”

But now the house is quiet, I have my coffee mug in hand and my To Do list for the week overflowth! Amid the pending chaos, I’m committed to moving (running or walking) everyday with at least 10 running miles, 2 strength workouts, continuing my daily planks and signing up for classes at a new yoga studio.

What have you got planned for the week?!

Filed Under: Monday Motivation