RtR Training Week 6 – Time to build an ark?

May 5, 2019 by 20 Comments

The story of the past week around here was the weather – honestly, it rained or was overcast every day! It’s been more than a week since we’ve had a nice sunny day and I’m starting to think if this keeps up, building an ark would not be out of the question!

As far as training weeks go this one was pretty uneventful…

Monday – Rest

Tuesday – Strength training – upper body

Wednesday – Started May off with 3 miles

Thursday – Rest

Friday – Strength training – leg day

Saturday – 5 Miles

Despite all the rain, the trees are pretty!

Sunday – 4 miles – derailed by a bad stomach!

Sunday’s run was supposed to be 8 miles but for some crazy reason when my alarm went off this morning my stomach was churning big time. I kept pushing off the run hoping things would improve, but eventually, I knew I needed to get out if I was going to attempt the distance and get back in time before heading out to see Avengers Endgame with my family (The movie was excellent, by the way!). My husband J offered to pick me up if I needed so off I went. In the first half mile, it was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to make it to 8 so the goal was to just keep going until I couldn’t…and did I mention it was raining … again?! So as they say, some miles are better than no miles, and 4 miles was it.

We might actually see the sun on Tuesday otherwise it looks like another washout of a week. While I’ve been trying to avoid stormy conditions, I’m trying to stick with outdoor runs – one, I’m no fan of treadmill running, and two, you never know what race day will bring!

Tell me, are you seeing the sun where you are? Rain runner yay or nay?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, weather, Weekly Run Down

RtR Training Week 5 – Finding My Legs

April 28, 2019 by 24 Comments

Despite feeing way T-I-R-E-D this week, my runs felt pretty good and I’m starting to feel like I’m finally finding my running legs again!

Here’s how the week went down….

Run to Remember Training Week 5

Monday — Rest Day

Tuesday — Strength training – upper body

Wednesday — 3-mile run

Sunshine & 60+ degrees for the win!

Thursday — A quick yoga session

Friday — 5-mile run

Caught a break between downpours!

Saturday — Rest – This was supposed to be a cross-training day, but we had a long list of house project items and it just didn’t happen.

Sunday — 7-mile run – my longest run in many months!

Thankfully no coyotes were spotted, but I definitely picked up the pace!

15 miles for the week and best of all these miles felt good! In fact, since last Friday’s 5-miler, I have to say I’ve kind of surprised myself – despite continuing to struggle with getting a solid night’s sleep (damn insomnia!), once I hit the road, my legs are just going. Now let’s hope I haven’t just jinxed myself!

It’s crazy to think the Run to Remember is just 4 weeks away – the weeks are just flying by. Coach Marc seems to think I’m on track so far, and I’m hoping to get at least one double-digit run in before hitting the starting line.

Can you believe we’re almost done with April? Tell me something about your week.

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

 

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Filed Under: Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Run to Remember Training Week 4

April 21, 2019 by 30 Comments

Another week in the books and my juggling act continues.  Here’s how the week went down…

Monday – I was lucky enough to once again be one of the 9,700 volunteers at the Boston Marathon. This year I was assigned to runner screening at the bus loading from Boston out to Hopkinton. Despite the crazy weather conditions, it was great being out there.

Tuesday – With taking Monday off, my work day was really hectic, but I managed to get some time on my mat.

Wednesday – A late afternoon 5K.

Thursday –  Unplanned rest day. I hadn’t been sleeping very well all week and it definitely caught up with me. I kept putting my workout off until “later” hoping I’d feel better but by the time I actually did it was too late in the day and I had to get ready for my youngest son’s concert.

Friday – These lovelies arrived in Thursday’s mail and I couldn’t wait to take them out for a spin. 5 miles right out of the box was a good start!

ASICS Gel-DS Trainer 24s

Saturday – Strength work.

Sunday – 5 more miles before heading out to enjoy Easter festivities with family.

I’m hoping that during this upcoming week I can get back to consistently running early in the morning. Overall, I find I do better if I can run earlier in the day – of course, that means I’ve got to get more sleep the night before!

How was your week? Early morning running yay or nay?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

 

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Filed Under: Boston Marathon, Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Run to Remember Week 3 & Enjoying the Boston Vibe

April 14, 2019 by 27 Comments

These weeks continue to fly by and Mother Nature continues to play hide and seek with the spring weather. It was a bit of an up and down week for me running wise. And, then there’s that little hometown race called the Boston Marathon happening! Here’s how my workout-week went down…

Run to Remember Training Week 3

Monday:  Rest day

Tuesday:  C-r-a-z-y day but did manage to squeeze in a HIIT workout before my son’s spring concert.

Wednesday: 3-mile run – there was just nothing pretty about this run. I was just happy that it was short and done!

Thursday: 3 miles and redemption! I went back to the same route as the day before and this time felt strong pushing through the hills. Ended up with negative splits which was a nice added bonus!

Friday:  Spent the day at the Boston Marathon expo!

Saturday: After hours of standing at the expo my legs didn’t feel much like running so I pushed the run to Sunday and stuck with getting a walk in.

Sunday: 5-mile run. The legs felt like led for the first 2 miles, but somewhere in mile 3 they kicked into gear and the rest of the run felt pretty good. And the return to 60-degree weather didn’t hurt either!

Working at the Boston Marathon Expo

The highlight of the week was the opportunity to hang out at the Tailwind Nutrition booth at the expo! I absolutely love being in Boston in the days leading up to the Marathon – the vibe is absolutely electric! While I’ve been to my fair share of race expos I’ve never worked a booth at one so I was pretty psyched when Tailwind put out a call to the Trailblazers to see if any of us were interested in helping out.

I could probably write a whole blog post about my time at the expo. First of all the Tailwind team was awesome! I also had the chance to meet so many runners – people from all over the world and with so many great stories. From charity runners and multi-marathoners to those looking to capture their 6th star and others who will be toeing the line of their first marathon.

No surprise, I could have stood there and talked about all things running all day! Their enthusiasm was infectious and I especially appreciated the runners, that upon hearing that I would be volunteering on Monday, thanked me for being out there. I also really appreciated the words of encouragement I received from others who learned that I’d be running Chicago as my first this fall.

Runners are really a special group!

Me with fellow Trailblazer Denise. Photo courtesy of Tailwind Nutrition.

I can’t wait for Marathon Monday! Good luck to all the Boston runners!

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down. If you do a weekly recap, be sure to join us!

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Filed Under: #TailwindTrailblazer, Boston Marathon, Weekly Run Down

Run to Remember Training Week 2

April 7, 2019 by 32 Comments

Juggling was once again the theme for this week as I navigated work commitments and my youngest son being home sick all week – I definitely took a do what you can, when you can approach!

 The Weekly Run Down

Monday — While my legs did not feel like running, I did get a nice mile power walk with the pup! There’s no such thing as a leisurely stroll with this fella!

Tuesday — With my son at home I wasn’t able to get out for a run until late in the afternoon, but I was greeted with mild temps and lots of sunshine! 3 miles done.

Wednesday — I was really feeling pressed for time so HIIT workout to the rescue!

Thursday — Try as I might, I just couldn’t fit in a workout so this was an unplanned rest day.

Friday — I felt good from start to finish on this run – 3 more miles in the books.

Saturday — A day filled with house projects and errands, but I did set aside some time for my yoga mat.

Sunday — A glorious afternoon in the upper 60s – Hello Spring! 4.5 miles done.

The workouts were a little all over the place, but I got them done…and best of all, my runs felt pretty good this week – maybe it was all that sunshine 😉

#SpringIntoNOW Challenge

If you’ve been following me on Instagram then you know that I’m participating in the #SpringIntoNOW Challenge in partnership with SweatPink. I’ve been having a lot of fun trying out the range of products NOW Foods provided and am pretty sure that many of them will become permanent fixtures for me well past the campaign.

There’s still time to get in on the fun – just post a photo ties to the daily theme, tag @nowfoodsofficial and use the hashtag #SpringIntoNOW for a chance to win a $200 gift card to NOW foods. The challenge ends on April 10th.

I’m joining Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

Have you ever tried NOW Foods products?

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Filed Under: #SpringIntoNOW, Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Run to Remember Training Week 1

March 31, 2019 by 30 Comments

Happy Sunday!

This past week was a hectic one for sure, with the kids returning to school and lacrosse practice after spring break and a big work event to prep for. I made it to today and just exhaled!

With just a couple of months until the Run to Remember Half, it was also time to start to focus on a training plan. Here’s how the week went down….

Boston’s Run to Remember Training Week 1

Monday — Rest

Tuesday — 3-mile run. I held off until the afternoon to head out, and while it was still pretty cold, it was a beautiful day!

Celebrating a beautiful day!

Wednesday — Strength workout (core & legs)

Thursday — I woke up with a killer headache. I kept hoping it would settle down, but I felt pretty crappy all day so I pushed the run off to Friday.

Friday — 3-miles. Finally, an early morning run that was not bitter cold!

Saturday — 5 miles logged (a mix of walking & running along the course) while playing race director for a charity run. We had a great turnout for this inaugural event. I was up by 3:30 a.m. and was on site by 4:45 – then it was nonstop until around 1 p.m. A fun day, but boy was I tired when I got home!

Sunday — My legs were so not feeling this morning’s run but I got 4 miles done. I was so happy I had scheduled an acupuncture appointment for this afternoon – just what my legs needed.

Total Miles: 15

I’m looking forward to a quieter week on both the work and home front…and dare I say it, some spring temps?

I’m joining Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

Tell me something about your week? Have you ever had the chance to play race director?

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Filed Under: Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Snapping out of Vacation Mode

March 24, 2019 by 32 Comments

Yeah, I’m so sure this was my look going back to work on Monday!

Snapping Out of Vacation Mode

After a glorious week in the tropics enjoying spring break with the family, this past week was all about getting back to reality. Here’s how the week went down…

Monday — Being layered up again was certainly a shock to the system! 2.25 mile run done.

From 86 to 26 degrees in less than 24 hrs. – Ouch!

Tuesday — Strength training with resistance bands

Wednesday — 3 miles to usher in the first day of Spring!

Thursday — Caught the sunrise and logged another 2 miles.

Friday — Rest day – I knew this was going to be a super busy day between work and errands getting ready for a big family dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

Saturday — Mother Nature’s antics were in full effect on Saturday. I woke up to snow showers to which I announced (to no one in particular) that I was not running in that sh…um …stuff and went back to bed. The snow didn’t stick around long, but the winds were crazy so I swapped workouts and opted for yoga.

Sunday — Time to make up for Saturday’s run, so I got 3.25 miles in.

Overall, not a bad first week post-vacation. The weather forecast for the upcoming week looks like something loosely resembling spring so hopefully, there will be some decent outdoor running.

I’m joining Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

Does it feel like spring where you are? Do you find it easy to return to a routine after being on vacation?

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Filed Under: vacation, Weekly Run Down