"I Just Felt Like Running" Virtual 5k Report

March 7, 2011 by 6 Comments
Another Sunday, another race….and what a difference a week makes! 
Last Sunday I was slogging through snowy conditions at the Hyannis 10k with my hubs J and a couple thousand other crazy dedicated runners! Today, it was a muggy 55 degrees and it was just me and the road for a virtual 5k — A big thanks to Detroit Runner for sponsoring the “I Just Felt Like Running” virtual 5k!
I loved being able to run in just a t-shirt and capris again. The weather really drew people out this morning, I saw lots of other runners and walkers and everyone seemed in a good mood and eager to smile and say hi. Made the run all the more enjoyable!
I had been on a mini break this week, trying to give my knee a little rest before diving into my half marathon training, so I didn’t really have any specific goals for this run. I just wanted to keep a nice steady pace and to keep my left knee relatively happy.  Well, check and check. I finished 3.11 miles in 34:32 and according to my Garmin I hung solidly around 11:06/mile. Best of all the left knee felt fine! 
Great way to start a Sunday!

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Filed Under: race report, virtual race

Friday Fun with the ABCs

March 4, 2011 by 3 Comments

I’ve really been enjoying the ABCs of Me posts that have been going around lately …and since this has been a quiet running week for me, I thought I’d join in. So here are my ABCs:

A:  Age — 44
B:  Bed Size  — Queen. I would love a King but there’s just not enough space for it!
C:  Chore Your Hate — Dusting!!
D:  Dogs — a beautiful German Shepherd who’ll be 2 next month
E:  Essential Start Your Day Item — coffee without a doubt, though a toothbrush is a close second
F:  Favorite Color — This one’s tough – I own a lot of Black clothing, but I love the color Red! Though lately I have a thing for Granny Smith Apple Green
G:  Gold or Silver — Silver
H:  Height — 5′ 3″
I:  Instruments You Play — none
J:  Job Title — there are many but the best one is Mom
K:  Kids — 2 great boys!
L:  Live — Massachusetts
M:  Mother’s Name — my boys call her Nana
N:  Nicknames — Mother Goose or Mother G, used only by a select few from my college days
O:  Overnight Hospital Stays — 3
P:  Pet Peeve –chronic lateness…everybody gets hung up once in a while, but then there are those who can just never seem to be on time
Q:  Quote from a Movie — two faves: “I’m just a stomach flu away from my goal weight.”  and  “You’re the worst kind; you’re high maintenance but you think you’re low maintenance.” (Can you name the movies?)
R:  Right or Left-Handed — Right
S:  Siblings — 1 younger brother
T:  Time You Wake Up — 6ish
U:  Underwear — ummm, yeah…kinda don’t see it as optional
V:  Vegetable You Dislike — peas…and “dislike” is not nearly a strong enough word!
W:  What Makes You Late —  usually my hubs, but most of the time I’m punctual, if not early (see P above)
X:   X-rays You’ve Had Done — does a CT scan count? otherwise just dental
Y:  Yummy Food You Make — I love to cook so hopefully it’s all yummy. Big holiday spreads are a specialty and I’m told I make a mean Jambalaya 🙂

Z:  Zoo Animal Favorite — I love the big cats

Have a Great Weekend!
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Filed Under: general musings

My New Target

March 2, 2011 by 6 Comments

This lovely necklace came my way about a month ago courtesy of a great giveaway from Marcia at The Studly Runner (aka Running Off at the Mouth).

Since I received the necklace from Nana’s Jewelry, it’s been sitting in the box it came in on a shelf in my closet — put aside until the 10k training I was currently in was complete.

Well, the 10k is done and in the books. So on this first day of a new month, it seemed like a good time to bring it out. It may sound corny, but this little necklace will serve as a great reminder and motivator for the journey I’m about to embark on. I’m so excited to go after this goal!

I’ve decided to treat this week as kind of a step back week — a chance to get my half training plan finalized and give my angry left knee a little break. So I did an easy run of 3 today, and plan to get in some strength training, yoga and couple more easy runs during the rest of this week. Then it will be time to go after my new target…time for another first! I can’t wait to get started!

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Filed Under: firsts, goals, Half marathon, injuries, training

Hyannis 10k Race Report

February 28, 2011 by 12 Comments

When I woke up to snow this morning, my first thought was “This is why you train in all kinds of weather – a treadmill can’t prepare you for this!” My Hubs J and I quickly got ready, packed our gear, grabbed a bite and once the boys were settled in with grandparents we headed out to make the drive to the Cape.

As we got into Hyannis, we decided to avoid the madness of trying to find parking close to the race start and instead opted for a lot about a quarter mile away – gave us a nice little trot, warm up.  The lines at the porta-potties were crazy and slow but everyone around us at least was in good humor and we made the best of it. We made it to the start with no time to spare and were off.

For those of you who are not familiar with Cape Cod, to say Cape roads are narrow is a understatement! So narrow roads and slippery conditions thanks to the snow falling made for a little bit of a chaotic start. As we had planned, J and I ran the first mile together and then we separated — his goal was to finish in just under an hour. I was feeling pretty good at this point, there were some twinges in my left knee but nothing indicating the trouble to come. As the course turned along the water, I was still feeling good about reaching my goal of a PR. But then the dark mile came…the twinges in my left knee grew a lot more intense. I backed off and then tried to walk, but it actually felt worse to walk (does that make any sense?!?) so I started to run again. The mile markers were non-existent so I chatted with a couple of different runners who spotted my Garmin and asked for an update.

As I reached 5.5 miles, I decided to try to push for a strong finish. There was a great crowd at the end and I heard J cheering as I turned for the finishers chute. My brother had brought my oldest down to see the end of the race, so it was really great to see them both there!

Despite the snow and angry knee, it felt great to be back in a race. It was a great group of runners, scenic course, and a lot of fun to run with J in his first 10k! (For the record: J did hit his goal – I’m so proud of him! And I missed matching my previous 10k time by only 40 seconds!)

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Filed Under: Hyannis 10k, injuries, race report

Thursday Thoughts: Pre-Race Edition

February 24, 2011 by 6 Comments
  • The sharp knee pain from Sunday morphed into dull, but very present knee pain on Monday and Tuesday. So I skipped Tuesday’s 3 miler in favor of a lot of ice and some stretching. Seems to have paid off because today’s intervals felt great – speedy for me at a 9:30 pace and best of all the knee pain was gone!
  • There’s a different forecast every time  I check weather.com so still have no idea what the conditions will be like on Sunday. Being the type A personality that I am, I’ve made a gear list for every possible scenario so bring it on Mother Nature!
  • My TRX class last night and the recent knee pain have proven to me that I need to dedicate more time to strength training. It is one of my goals for 2011, but so far I haven’t been walking the walk with any consistency. But I’m committing to making it a key part of my half marathon training and will probably post my weekly training schedule here to help keep me accountable.

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    Filed Under: 3 things, Hyannis 10k, TRX, weather

    A Couple More Firsts

    February 20, 2011 by 8 Comments

    One of the beauties of being a new runner is that there are lots of firsts to celebrate! This morning I added a couple more firsts to my collection —  I ran 8 miles and in 15 degrees!

    Obviously I’m more excited about hitting 8 miles than I am about the new low temp…especially after such glorious weather just two days ago. But with a race on the Cape only a week away, I have to be prepared for whatever New England weather might decide to show up that day. Well given the high winds I ran into for at least half the run, I think I have definitely reached the point where I’m unfazed by the weather – a definite victory!

    The run itself was more like two runs – the first 4 and a half miles were smooth and easy. Then I felt a sharp pain on the outside of my left knee. I have no idea what happened, but after that it was part run, part hobble with the occasional stop and stretch. Not always pretty, but 8 done nonetheless – a first!

    Hopefully ice and rest is all that’s needed – I’m scheduled to run again until Tuesday…so fingers crossed!

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    Filed Under: firsts, Hyannis 10k, training, weather

    Giddy!

    February 18, 2011 by 4 Comments
    It’s 60 degrees today! 

    60 degrees! It’s been a l-o-n-g time since I’ve run in 60 degree weather. In fact I overdressed…definitely had too much on this morning. But, I didn’t care because I was running outside….and did I mention it was 60 degrees!

    Yes I was giddy for my run…so much so that I saw a rare sight – the words “slow down” on my garmin cause I was running faster than my pre-set pace range. A rare sight indeed but I was feeling good and enjoying the run and the feeling that Spring is on the way. Thank you Mother Nature…now behave yourself!

    Happy Friday!

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    Filed Under: general musings, weather

    I’ll take another week like that!

    February 14, 2011 by 9 Comments

    Last week was a good one!

    There were no snow days, which meant schedules were fairly normal for the first time since the begining of January.

    I got all of my planned workouts in except for an easy 3 miler which I opted to skip in favor of yoga to keep my ITB happy. On Friday, I treated myself to a Thai Massage which was heavenly and really helped to relieve some of the pressure/tightness I’ve been feeling in my hips and lower back.

    Saturday night we went to a fun event to raise money for a new school playground and I walked away a silent auction winner for a pair of Vibrams! Cannot wait to get them – more on that to come.

    And finally on Sunday, I got to run outside again for the first time in 3 weeks!! Without our weekly snow storm I figured the roads would be clear enough to venture out. And despite having to dance around black ice and being a bit tired (did I mention we went out Saturday night…did I mention there was a lot of wine involved?) I was psyched to say goodbye to my new BFF and get my 7 miles outside!!

    On the decks for this week:
    Rodney Yee's Yoga for BeginnersToday: Yoga. I was tweeting with Sage Roundtree and she forwarded a couple of her podcasts to try. I also just got Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Beginners DVD.

    Tuesday: 4 miles

    Wednesday: My weekly TRX/Pilates class

    Thursday:  Tempo run or speedwork — with less than 2 weeks to go until the Hyannis 10k I’ve been trying to figure out which workout is more beneficial.

    Friday: It’s suppose to warm up around here (read 40’s) so I’ll probably run again with some yoga as well.

    Saturday: my weekly Pilates Reformer group

    Sunday: my first attempt at 8 miles!

    How was your week? What have you got planned this week?

    Happy Running!
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    Filed Under: Hyannis 10k, Pilates, Thai Massage, training, TRX, Vibrams, Yoga

    Just Stylin’

    February 12, 2011 by 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….
    1. 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!
    2.  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!
    3.  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.
    4. 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 🙂
    5. I’m an avid reader – though at the moment I’m way behind on my reading wish list.
    6. I love to decorate – a wall of paint samples can seriously make me giddy!
    7. 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!!
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    Filed Under: awards, food, football, general musings, kids

    Thursday Thoughts – aka 3 things

    February 10, 2011 by 6 Comments

    1. A few weeks back I put out there that I was debating whether or not to sign up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Providence Half in August. Well as some of you pointed out, RnR races are a lot of fun and with one right in my backyard why miss this opportunity? So I’ve bit the bullet and registered! Now I’ve got two half marathons on my race schedule — given that I haven’t run longer than 7 miles yet, is that crazy?!
    2. And, speaking of crazy, I’m starting to feel like a magnet for crazies at the gym….or at least bad singers! Seriously the last few times I’ve been at the gym I get the one person who wants the treadmill next to mine who feels the need to break out into song! One time might be an accident, but by the 4th time I’m starting to wonder! And it’s never the same person. Going to the gym is starting to turn into one long bad American Idol audition!   
    3. I’m going to try out Thai Muscular Therapy tomorrow. TMT is a unique combination of Traditional Thai Massage, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage), and Neuromuscular Therapy. One of my Pilates instructors, who also runs marathons, suggested it for my on again, off again ITB issues. I’m open to trying anything once so I figure I’ll give it a whirl!

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    Filed Under: 3 things, gym crazies, RnR, Thai Massage