November Runfessions

November 25, 2022 by 20 Comments

Happy Friday!

This month flew by in a blink (I feel like I say that often!), and here we are on the last Friday of the month. That means Marcia has opened the runfessional. It’s also time for another Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renee, Jenn, Zenaida, and yours truly, so let’s get started.

November Runfessions

I runfess that I am so over hearing the phrase “Black Friday”! I may or may not be spending some time today checking out the online deals, but absolutely no in-store shopping!

I runfess that as much as I wanted to join a few of my fellow bloggers for the Team Wilpers Holiday Run Challenge I’ve decided to take a pass. Speedwork is just not something my hip flexor needs right now. I’ll be focusing on the boring but necessary rehab work and hopefully, I can dive into the next Wilpers challenge in January.

As I start to look ahead to possible races for 2023, I runfess that at the moment distances of 10 miles or less hold the most appeal. While I’ve seen some great deals for early registrations, I’ll be holding off committing to anything.

How about you – have you registered for any 2023 races yet? Are you a Black Friday shopper? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to link back to your hosts and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


signature
Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Runfessions

Philly 8K Race Recap

November 22, 2022 by 9 Comments

This past weekend, my husband J and I headed to Philly to run the 8K as part of the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend. I had originally planned to run the half marathon but my work schedule and cranky hip flexor hindered my long runs and had me shifting my registration to join my husband in the 8K. I was excited to return to Philly Marathon Weekend and to have my hubby joining me was a great bonus!

Pre-Race/Expo:

We flew into Philadelphia on Friday morning and were happy to find out that our hotel room was ready early! We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which is next door to the Reading Terminal Market and basically across the street from the Philadelphia Convention Center, home to the expo.

Packet pick-up was quick and easy though I was struck by the lack of volunteers for t-shirts and bags – I felt for the woman who was hustling at the 8K t-shirt distribution.  J and I took a spin through the expo, including stopping to check out the Garmin watches and chat up the rep on the features of the Forerunner 255 Music which I have been eyeing. It’s on my wish list 🙂 We had lunch at the Market and then chilled in the room for the afternoon watching college football. We grabbed dinner at a local pizza place – so good.

Reading Market photo courtesy of Visit Philly.com

Race Day

The 8K didn’t go off until 11 AM so the morning was relaxed and easy. We were about a 1-mile walk to the start and headed out just after 10 thinking we’d have plenty of time to get to the corrals and warm up. (Given the temps in the mid 30 plus the windchill we were hoping to avoid standing in the cold for too long.) We arrived to find a crazy long line for the security check-in. The line seemed to go on forever and it was not moving. I can honestly say that I have never been in line for security while listening to the race announcer count down the start. Runners were annoyed, it was a cluster! We eventually got through security and headed to a break in the barriers to get to the start.

In the hustle to get to the start, there was no final dynamic stretching and I forgot to take my GU. But we were off and excited to get going. J, who was easing his way back into running, did not want me to wait and encouraged me to run my own race so soon after the start we separated. Without the benefit of the corraled start, I spent a good bit of the first mile or so weaving around walkers and slower runners, but I was feeling good and enjoying the crowd support. Most of the course was an out-and-back along Kelly Drive, which was a great opportunity for runners to high-five and support each other along the course.

There were some really cold gusts of wind off the Schuylkill River, but I was pretty pleased that I had nailed my layering game. The miles ticked by, I stuck to my 4/:45 intervals and enjoyed my playlist. I hit the turnaround and was heading back when a woman ran up alongside me and asked if I was RunAttitude, it was Courtney from Eat, Pray Run DC! I then spotted J making his way up to the turnaround and we high-fived. As I passed the 4-mile marker my hip flexor reared its ugly head, an extra walk break was needed, but I powered on. I knew I was close and I did not want to lose momentum. Soon I saw the banners marking the final stretch and I pushed through to the finish. Always feels good to cross the finish line with a smile.

I was handed my medal and a heat wrap and then waited for J. Once he finished we snagged a couple of photos and then headed for the food tent – an offering of bananas, granola bars, orange juice, and chicken broth. Oh, that hot broth felt so good! We hung out for a little bit and then walked the mile back to our hotel.

Final thoughts:

Overall I really enjoyed this race! The security lines were a complete cluster and made the start more chaotic than it needed to be. I was also surprised by the lack of enthusiasm from the volunteers at the water stops. They seemed stressed and I didn’t hear the encouragement of runners that I often hear in other races. Maybe they were just cold. That aside, the course is a good one, relatively flat, along the river. It was fun to be a part of the Philly Marathon Weekend! I would run this race again.

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

And, with Debbie, Deborah, Lisa, and Jenn for the Runners’ Roundup.

Have you participated in the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend?

signature
Filed Under: race report

On the Road Again

November 20, 2022 by 26 Comments

Happy Sunday!

This week had me flying home from wine country, working a couple of days, and then back on a plane, this time Philly-bound! My usual workout routine has been taking a hit, but I’ve been fitting in what I can where I can. Here’s a quick peek at how the week played out.

Week 46 – On the Road Again

Monday — 2.5-mile walk, yoga, Planksgiving day 14. It was nice to get a little workout in before the long flight home from California.

Tuesday — Planking, overwise rest. After arriving late Monday night, I was up and out early to commute to the office and followed a busy workday with a “goodbye” drinks staff gathering.

Wednesday — Flash 15 Strength, Planking, and Stretch. It’s rare that I have back-to-back days of commuting, but I was back in the office again. I love these Flash 15 classes on the Peloton app – Jess Sims really packs a lot into those 15 minutes – perfect for when I’m short on time!

Thursday — 3-mile run, Core (with planking), and Stretch. While I didn’t have to commute, my day started with an early board meeting Zoom call so I had planned a lunchtime run. Schedules collided and by the time I was free to run it was dark out. I had no motivation to run in the dark so it was a treadmill run.

Friday — 3.25-mile walk, Planking & Stretch. My husband J and I did a short walk after we arrived in Philly, then hit the expo and called it a day.

Saturday — Philly 8K! Had so much fun out there – recap to come.

Sunday — The marathon route goes right past our hotel so we’re planning to get out early to spectate before heading to the airport.

It was a chaotic but fun week! And, now I’m looking forward to the Thanksgiving week and things settling down a little.

How was your week?

In case you missed it:

Western Mass 10 Mile Race Recap

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

signature
Filed Under: Weekly Run Down

Western Mass 10 Mile Race Recap

November 18, 2022 by 18 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I toed the line for the inaugural Western Mass 10 Miler. While I’m usually not a fan of “inaugural races” – I like to wait for some of the kinks to be worked out – I was excited to run this one because 1) I’ve made no secret of my love of the 10-mile distance and 2) this was an HMF event and they’ve got a reputation for putting on a great event.

For this week’s Fit FIve Friday I’m sharing a quick race recap — spoiler alert, this race did not disappoint!

Western MA 10 Mile Race Recap

The 10-mile course was a point-to-point route, starting on the UMass Amherst campus and ending in the town of Northampton. After a quick loop through Amherst (including an incline at the start), most of the race was spent on the Norwottuck Rail Trail – a beautiful trail for runners, walkers, and cyclists.

Isn’t this a beautiful spot to run?

After enjoying some cool fall mornings for my runs leading up to the race, Mother Nature threw us a big curve ball on race day with 78% humidity, which made the unseasonable 76-degree temps feel even warmer. Definitely not the November race temps I had been hoping for! As I had mentioned in some of my previous weekly run downs, my hip flexor had kept me guessing over the past couple of weeks – sometimes it was completely quiet and at other times quite irritable. Well, perhaps my hip flexor is affected by the weather because on race morning it was certainly crankier than it had been. I honestly had no goals for this race except to enjoy it and celebrate another finish line so that made it much easier to let go of concerns over the humidity or hip and just run.

Despite the hip flexor crankiness, I actually went out faster than I had planned for the first couple of miles. After the first mile, I settled into the 4:1 run-walk intervals that I’ve been using since the summer and overall felt pretty good through the first 6 miles. In mile 7, I started to slow as my hip region was just not happy. It took a few more walk breaks to get through the next few miles but I powered along and appreciated the encouragement of other runners, the volunteers, and the bike support crew (who did an excellent job of constantly patrolling the course since it was open to the public).

Thanks to Route 9 which runs from Amherst to Northampton parallel to the Trail, there are multiple spots where spectators could stop to cheer. It was great to have my husband J pop up in a few spots along the way!

The race finished at the Deck Bar at Union Station in Northampton. There post-race party with music, beer, and food, including vegetarian chili. I never have the stomach to eat right after a race so I didn’t partake beyond grabbing a banana and water.

There were so many pluses to this race — from the course, to the volunteers, to the swag (I love the color of the long sleeve tech shirt!). Race management did a great job of being in touch pre-race, and I appreciated that they mailed bibs if you registered up to a week before the race. I would definitely run this one again…and hopefully next time, we’ll get real November weather 🙂

Have you run an inaugural race?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to link back to your hosts and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


signature
Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, race report

Wine Country Check-in

November 13, 2022 by 24 Comments

Hello from California!

After last Sunday’s 10 miler (race recap still to come), the theme for this week was rest, recharge, and wine country! Here’s a quick peek at how the week played out.

Week 45 – Wine Country Check-in

Monday — Yoga for hips and Planksgiving Day 7. Everything felt extra creaky so I stacked some hip-focused yoga classes from the Peloton app. and then threw in some foam rolling.
Tuesday — Planksgiving Day 8 otherwise rest. I was up and out early to commute to the office and it was a long day as I tried to wrap up as many loose ends as possible before my vacation.
Wednesday — 3-mile run, Core (including planks) & Stretch. November weather returned but there was plenty of sunshine when I slipped out for a midday run.


Thursday — 3.5-mile walk & Plank Day 10. The day started at 3:30 am for our taxi pickup to the airport, flight to San Fransisco, and then a drive up to Sonoma. We were eager to get out and about and a walk was a great way to shake out our legs.
Friday — 1.5-mile walk, planking, and then wine tasting! Does vineyard hopping count as a workout? We had arranged for a driver to take us to four different vineyards. Let me tell you this was the way to go! The pace was slow and easy, our tasting hosts were really nice, and the wine was outstanding!

Saturday — Coastline hike & planking day 12. We drove up towards Bodega Bay in search of some hiking and ocean views and we were not disappointed.


Sunday — The plan is to get a run in (distance to be determined) before brunch and a visit to a couple more vineyards 🙂

Keeping things low key fitness-wise has done wonders for my cranky hip flexor, which is great since I have the Philly 8K coming up next. And, to say this vacation was just what I needed would be an understatement. We head home on Monday evening so until then I’m going to squeeze all the goodness I can out of the rest of our time here (I’m not going to want to leave lol!).

So tell me, how was your week? 

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

signature
Filed Under: vacation, Weekly Run Down

November Coffee Catch-Up

November 4, 2022 by 30 Comments

And just like that October is out the door and November is here. As we usher in a new month, it’s the perfect time for a little coffee catch-up, so I’m linking up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. And, of course, it’s Friday so that means another Fit Five Friday link-up! So grab a mug of your fave hot beverage and let’s chat.

November Coffee Catch-Up

Over coffee, I would have to start by mentioning this crazy weather we’re having! The days have been unseasonably warm (upper 60s to mid-70s) – I’m certain we’ll pay for this later, but for now, I’m not mad about the fact that I can still run in shorts and a T-shirt!

Over coffee, I would tell you how much I’m looking forward to our wine country vacation! We’re heading to Sonoma next week and I cannot wait to eat great food, sample wines, and r-e-l-a-x!

Over coffee, I would tell you that I have two races this month. I’m heading out to Amherst this weekend for the inaugural Western MA 10 miler and then the weekend before Thanksgiving my husband and I are Philly-bound to run the 8K as part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend.

Over coffee, I would also tell you how much I’m looking forward to having my college boy home for Thanksgiving break! I so enjoy this time of year and the holidays and after all of October’s busyness, I’m very intent on slowing down and savoring these last couple of months of the year.

Lastly, over coffee, I would tell you that I’ve jumped into a couple of challenges just to keep things interesting. Inspired by Jen, I’ve climbed back on the planking bandwagon with a Planksgiving Challenge. I know there are various versions out there, but I’ll be following the one offered by Women’s Running. I’ll also be diving into ZOOMA’s Winter Warrior Challenge. I runfess that I couldn’t resist the cute swag!

What would you tell me over coffee? What are you looking forward to this month?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to link back to your hosts and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


signature
Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, races, Ultimate coffee date, vacation

Wrapping up October

October 30, 2022 by 10 Comments

What a month it has been! This October will definitely go down as one of the busier months. With my organization’s fundraising gala on Thursday evening and still contending with a sometimes irritable hip flexor, my workouts were fairly low-key this week. Here’s how things played out:

Monday — 2 mile walk & Yoga, plus another trip to the acupuncturist.
Tuesday — Uber-early commute to the office, so rest day.
Wednesday — 3.1 mile run, Core & Stretch.
Thursday — 3 mile walk & Core.
Friday — 2 mile walk & Yoga. I had a run on the schedule, but after being on my feet (in heels) for 7 hours there was no way a run was happening.
Saturday — 1.5 mile walk, Upper Body Strength, Core & Stretch.
Sunday — 4.5 mile run & Stretch.

The upcoming week is race week with the Western MA 10 miler happening next Sunday. My hip flexor keeps me guessing – sometimes it’s completely quiet and other times it’s very cranky. It has felt better with acupuncture, so needless to say I’ll be going back for another treatment this week. My long runs this month have hovered between 7 and 8 miles so hitting 10 shouldn’t be an issue – how speedy a race it will be is anybody’s guess – my goal is to run and have fun.

How was your week? Do you have any races coming up?

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

signature
Filed Under: Weekly Run Down

Runfessions for October

October 28, 2022 by 23 Comments

How are we already at the end of the month?! October went by in the blink of an eye!

Well, it’s the last Friday of the month which means it’s time to join Marcia for some Runfessions. It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renée, Jenn, Zenaida, and me! So let’s get started!

Runfessions for October

Maybe it’s because of the recent battle with my hip flexor or maybe it’s my month-long crazy busy work schedule, but I runfess that I’m not feeling double-digit runs. I’ve been hanging out at the 8-mile mark for the past few weeks, and honestly, the thought of adding on 5+ more miles for a half marathon is leaving me feeling a little meh (both mentally and physically!).

On the other hand, I also runfess that I’m looking forward to my 10M race next weekend – yeah ok I didn’t say my runner logic makes sense.

For as much as I continue to enjoy the Peloton app, I runfess… (or is it bikefess?) that I haven’t ridden my Peloton bike once this month! I’ve been loving the cool fall weather so much and have preferred to take an extra walk on my non-running days. I am starting to miss my cycling classes and already have plans to change things up in November and into the winter.

No chance of my bike becoming a clothes rack!

There…I feel better…what are you runfessing?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to link back to your hosts and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


signature
Filed Under: Runfessions

Running Books I Can’t Wait to Read

October 21, 2022 by 20 Comments

I love to read and when I can combine it with running, all the better! So for today’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing a few new running books I can’t wait to read!

Running Books I Can’t Wait to Read

This post contains affiliate links.

First up is Running while Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us by Alison Mariella Desir which hit the shelves just this week. Alison is the founder of Harlem Run and Run 4 All Women, which supports women’s reproductive rights, in addition to being a co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition. She’s driven to challenge the long-distance running industry to be more inclusive and I’m here for it!

Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman is slated to release in January. Described as “part memoir, part manifesto” this book focuses on Fleshman’s journey to elite running status and the turn of events that led her to become a fierce advocate for female runners.

I’m a huge Des Linden fan so I’ll admit I’m especially looking forward to reading Choosing to Run: A Memoir. Her book is fittingly due out in April right around the time of the Boston Marathon. I can still so vividly remember watching her run and win in 2018 in absolutely brutal weather conditions and can’t wait to read more about what motivates her.

The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher is due out in March. This promises to be an unvarnished look at Coach Alberto Salazar and the scandal around the Nike Oregon Project. Kara has also become a strong advocate for female runners and was a key witness in helping to get Salazar banned from Olympic-level coaching.

Which book are you looking forward to reading?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to link back to your hosts and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


signature
Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, running books

3 Weeks and Counting

October 16, 2022 by 24 Comments

This was one of those weeks where I felt like I was juggling all the things — work has been off the chain (good stuff, just need more hours in the day!); my hubby and I celebrated our 30th anniversary, my college boy came home for a long weekend (his college had a mid-semester break), and it was homecoming for my high schooler. All good stuff – no complaints!

However, in the midst of all this, I tried to focus on keeping my hip flexor happy and my November race plans alive.

Caught the sun just starting to rise at the end of Thursday’s run

Week 41 – 3 Weeks and Counting

Monday — 2-mile walk & lots of stretching.
Tuesday — Rest day.
Wednesday — 3-mile walk, Upper Body Strength & Yoga.
Thursday — 3-mile run, Core & Stretch.
Friday — Hip mobility work, Core & Yoga.
Saturday — 4-mile run & Stretch. It was fun having my husband join me on the road as he’s gearing up to run for the Philly 8K!
Sunday — 6-mile run, Core & Stretch. I had hoped for 8 but my hip flexor was not happy, and when my gait started to get wonky around the 5-mile mark I didn’t see any benefit in pushing it.

Sadly my right hip flexor has grown increasingly crankier since last week’s 8 miler. I paid a visit to my acupuncturist – we agreed that I may have downshifted on appointments a little too soon into my treatment (it had been a couple of weeks since I’d last seen her). Needless to say, I booked another appointment for the upcoming week.

There are 3 weeks until the Western MA 10M and I’m feeling fairly confident that I will be able to run it. Where I’m less confident is the thought of the Philly half just two weeks later. It may be time to think about dropping down to the 8K. I’ll see how this week goes…

Tell me, how was your week? 

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

signature
Filed Under: Weekly Run Down