month in review

August Rewind

September 1, 2012 by Michelle 6 Comments

I blinked and August was gone…..

Good things for the month:

98 miles – a new monthly high!
Completed all the workouts on my training plan.
Added a new pair of Saucony Mirage 2s and Kinvara 3s — have I mentioned how much I love Saucony!!
Lots of birthday celebrations around my house; great days at the beach, and all around, lots of family fun!

Things I could do without:

Happy to say…no complaints…if I could make time slow down a little, that would be my only wish.

What’s up for September:

Returning to the schedule of school and fall sports commitments.
“Yoga for Runners” class returns!!
ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon – as you can imagine, I’m really looking forward to this race – should be a great weekend! I’m still figuring out my goals for this race, but more on that later.
As much as I hate to say goodbye to summer, I’m so looking forward to fall temps 🙂

How did your summer wrap-up?

Filed Under: end of summer, month in review

July Rewind

August 1, 2012 by Michelle 12 Comments

Good things for the month:

88 miles – haven’t had this kind of mileage since March!
Started working with running coach Bennett Cohen
“Yoga for Runners” class
Eased in some miles with my new Merrell Pace Gloves

Things I could do without:

Heat…Humidity….I promised at the beginning of the summer that I wouldn’t complain, so moving on….

What’s up for August:

Unfortunately, my 12-week yoga class is ending this week. But, I am hooked on the benefits so I’ve promised myself to keep up a consistent practice going forward (probably not the 2hr marathon sessions the class was, but I will do what I can to keep my hammies happy!)
I’ll be getting phase 2 of my training plan from Coach Bennett
Hill work!
Finish Ripped in 30 (review to come!)
Turning 46!

How did July treat you? Any goals for August?

Filed Under: month in review, running coach

February Rewind

March 1, 2012 by Michelle 15 Comments

Good things for the month:

81 miles – my second highest monthly total ever since I’ve started running!
Set a 10 mile PR!
One of the mildest February’s on record helped continue my outdoor running streak.
Left leg continues to feel good (Dr. Needles will be proud)!

Things I could do without:

Missed my goal mileage – while I missed a few runs due to the kids’ school vacation week, the bigger factor here is that I may not be a 5-day a week runner. I missed some runs for no other reason than my body needed the rest. I made sure to hit all my quality runs (long runs, tempo, speedwork) but punted on some of the recovery/easy runs.
Had no time to dedicate to making the switch to WordPress. Blogger continues to be twitchier and twitchier (yes that’s a technical term!), so I still want to make the change.

On the decks for March:

While I did incorporate more yoga in February I still haven’t made it to a Bikram class. Determined to get one in this month.
100 miles.
More consistent core & strength work.
Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half!

Filed Under: month in review, race, RnR DC

January Rewind

January 31, 2012 by Michelle 11 Comments

Good things for the month:

Kicked off the year with 77 miles!
Completed 1st month of the 100x Challenge (there’s time to join February’s challenge, click here).
Overall the weather for January was really mild so I only had to hit the treadmill twice to avoid icy roads.
Several quality sessions with Dr. Needles has the left leg feeling pretty good – whoot!

Things I could do without:

Really have nothing to complain about – love that!

On the decks for February:

First 10 mile race!
More miles – plan calls for 109.
Planning to try out the Brooks Pure Connects as soon as my local running store gets the new colors – can’t wait!
Adding Bikram yoga to the mix – that should be ~~comical~~…er…interesting!
Going to finally bite the bullet and migrate to WordPress – wish me luck.

How has your 2012 started off?

Filed Under: month in review

November Rewind

December 1, 2011 by Michelle 7 Comments

Good things for the month:

While I logged just 60 miles – one of my lowest months of the year – this still goes in the “good things” category because they were quality miles that helped lead to 2 PRs this month!

I was selected to be a FitFluential Ambassador! I’m really looking forward to connecting with other bloggers and the opportunity to test, review, and hopefully giveaway various brands of fitness gear/equipment/books/food.

Things I could do without:

My left ITB/knee saga – Yeah…enough already!

On the decks for December:

The Jingle Bell 5k – my last race of the year!
Returning to acupuncture for my ITB — it really made a difference in the days leading up to Philly.
A little 2012 planning — trying to figure out my training plan for my next half marathon…and maybe a little race shopping 🙂
Diving full force into the holiday season!!

How was your November? What do you have planned for this month?

Filed Under: acupuncture, FitFluential, ITB, month in review, PR

July Rewind

August 1, 2011 by Michelle 6 Comments

Good things for the month:

Reached another monthly high with 89 miles.
Despite the heat, only missed one training run (opted for an extra rest day vs. short recovery run)
Had some very strong workouts at the track and did a much better job of committing to strength training.
Introduced Saucony Kinvaras into the rotation and love the way they feel.
Started working with Team Sony Walkman — (more on that to come)
Lots of new followers — I so appreciate the support and encouragement!

Things I could do without:

Have I mentioned the heat? Yeah…enough about that!

On the decks for August:

Providence Rock’n’Roll Half is this Sunday!
More strength training.
Finalize my fall race plans.

How was your July — did you meet your goals?

Filed Under: month in review

May Rewind and Giveaway Winner

June 3, 2011 by Michelle 6 Comments

Good things for the month:

Completed my first half marathon – ‘nuf said!
Logged my highest total ever of 74 miles.
My love affair with my Saucony Mirages continues – rotating them with my Brooks Adrenaline has worked well to make the transition easier. Even used them for my race!
Discovered the benefits of KT Tape!
Hosted my first giveaway!
98 of you now follow this little journey of mine — welcome to the new followers — and to all, as always thank you for the support!

Things I could do without:

My ongoing annoyance with Mother Nature – we had one of the coldest and wettest Mays on record in NE. That is of course until my race weekend!
Return of my left leg/knee issues in the final week of training.

On the decks for June:

Start training for the Providence Rock’n’Roll Half!
Get real about my strength training – more on this to come.
Log more than 80 miles

And speaking of my first giveaway….the winner of the copy of Running on Empty is lucky #5 — Kittee at Running Half Crazy! Congrats Kittee – shoot me an email at runningwithattitude (at) yahoo (dot) com and I’ll get the book off to you.

Have a Great Weekend!

Filed Under: giveaways, month in review, RnR, Running on Empty, Saucony

March Rewind

April 1, 2011 by Michelle 3 Comments

Good things for the month:

Logged 69 miles and for the most part my left leg cooperated.
Started my training plan for my first half marathon!
Participated in Detroit Runner’s “I Just Felt Like Running” virtual 5k
ChiRunning one-on-one workshop — so many good things, (if you missed it, you can check out my post about it here)
Continued to add more yoga to my plan.
81 of you now follow this little journey of mine — welcome to the new followers — and to all, thanks for the support!

Things I could do without:

Quite simply…this weather! Seriously…where is Spring? Snow is falling as I type this. If I ever track down that groundhog, he should be very afraid!

On the decks for April:

Continue to build on my ChiRunning practice
Start rotating a minimalist shoe into my runs — starting with my shorter runs and then build from there.
More strength training and core work.
My first double-digit runs!

What have you got planned for April?

Filed Under: ChiRunning, month in review, training, weather

January rewind

February 1, 2011 by Michelle 2 Comments

Good things this month:

Logged 56 relatively pain-free miles – ice and foam roller helped to keep the ITB in check.
Did not miss one scheduled run despite weekly snow storms of biblical proportion (ok slight exaggeration… or not if you listen to our local weatherman!)
Added TRX to my weekly routine and I’m loving it! It kicks my arse in a good way.
Finally took on hill work, and on the treadmill no less!
Added yoga to my training….ok on the last day of the month, but technically I did add it
Completed the first week of the Chopra Center’s 21-day Meditation Challenge. I’m not zen yet, but I’m working on it.
63 of you now following my ~~madness~~…er…journey — I appreciate the support!

Things I could do without:

Treadmill as my new BFF….I need to start keeping better company. I miss the road. I will take the bitter cold temps if Mother Nature will just give the snow show a rest!
Shoveling as a form of cross-training…ok I’m done whining.
hmmm…that’s it…short list!

On the decks for February:

More…more TRX, more yoga and more miles…more ice.
Want to do a better job paying attention to what I’m eating – I don’t eat a lot of junk, but I could fuel and hydrate better, especially as I hope to increase my miles.
Hyannis 10k