Michelle — Page 48

PT Update and Swapping Races

October 15, 2018 by Michelle 28 Comments

Happy Monday!

Well, I swear I blinked and the weekend went by! After last week where Mother Nature seemed confused over what season it was (80 degrees at one point then crashing back to the 40s at another), I’m hoping for some consistency this week in that fall weather that I love.

Between the crazy temperature roller coaster ride, a fair amount of rain, and a hectic work schedule, it was a little hard to find a rhythm last week. Somehow I managed to eek out 3 runs, 2 days of strength training, and a nice power walk catching up with a friend — I’ll take it!

PT Update & Swapping Races

I also managed to catch up with my PT Abby. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to see her since the Ocean Road 10K so it was good to be able to fill her in and talk about next steps. While I have definitely made progress, the suspect hammy can still make running a challenge, especially once I hit the 4 – 4 ½ mile window – the fact that I got to 5 ½ miles yesterday was a big win in my book!

Of course, time waits for no one and as I watch the days tick by I’ve started to question whether running the Harborside Half makes sense. My fall goal is to get a half marathon in before the year’s done and luckily, I’ve been keeping an alternative race on the back burner – the Half Merrython. It will be held on December 2 which would buy me 3 more weeks over Harborside, and, based on the revamped training plan I’ve sketched out, the extra time should allow me to comfortably get to double-digit running before race day (barring a major hammy flare up). Abby was on board with this idea and gave me a new routine to follow daily to help get me to the starting line.

So it looks the Harborside Half will have to wait for another year. Thankfully, I had held off on registration, so it looks like it’s bye bye Harborside and hello Half Merrython – now it’s time to register!

Have you ever swapped out one race for another? Has fall weather consistently arrived where you are?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

And, with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

Filed Under: race calendar, Tuesdays on the Run, Weekly Wrap

Ocean Road 10K Race Recap

October 9, 2018 by Michelle 22 Comments

Last Sunday my husband J and I took on the Ocean Road 10K, and today I’m finally getting around to sharing some of the highlights.

Ocean Road 10K Race Recap

I have had my eye on the Ocean Road 10K since last year, but the race has a limited field and by the time I was sure I could make it work in my schedule the race had sold out. Determined to not repeat the same mistake, once I caught the first notification on Facebook I jumped at signing up.

This is a Rhode Island-based race, so there were no local packet pick-up options, leaving me to have to make the trek down to Narragansett the day before. (There was an option to pick up your bib on race morning, but most of the race communications tried to dissuade you from going that route). While I didn’t love the extra driving time down and back, the packet pick-up itself was a breeze. I especially appreciated that they let you pick up bibs for others as long as you had a copy of a photo ID, so I could pick up J’s bib while he was off picking up our oldest son from his cross country meet.

Since this was a point-to-point race, all runners were assigned to a shuttle based on when you registered – and since J slid in on registration literally moments before it sold out, we were assigned to the first wave of shuttles at 6:30 a.m. Factoring in the hour plus drive, we were up and moving by 4:30 to make sure we were out the door by 5 – oy! Though in hindsight, I will say that given how fast the parking lot was filling up when we arrived at 6:15, I’m glad we didn’t plan to arrive later.

The school buses were all lined up and ready to head out, and we were both a little surprised that given all of the repeated reminders in the pre-race communications about taking your assigned shuttle, we didn’t see any race staff on hand to make sure people were getting on the right shuttles. Being on the first shuttles had its advantages of first dibs on the Porta Potties and getting in line to rent a locker (The locker situation turned out to be a hot mess, but more on that later).

The race didn’t start until 8 so we enjoyed the sunrise, watched the handful of surfers on the water, and tried to stretch and stay warm. As the start time neared and they made the first call for the “fast runners” we realized there were no posted markers to help runners self-seed. No Bueno. We shuffled in where we could as the race went off in “waves” – and soon we were off.

The goal for this race was simply to use 5:1 intervals and to try to hold a solid pace. And for the first 4 miles, we did just that. Shortly after the 4-mile marker, my hammy announced it was done…hmm yeah, well we’ve still got 2.2 miles to go. J suggested we switch to shorter run intervals and while it helped a little I could really feel my pace slowing. Thankfully, it was only a couple of miles of discomfort before we were heading down the home stretch and crossing the finish line.

We got our medals, water and did a quick peruse of the food before hitting the Kind Bar tent, and then headed to the beach where most of our fellow runners were gathering. It was such a gorgeous day that if we hadn’t had family plans for the day we could have easily hung out and enjoyed the beachfront.

Running just gets better with views like this!

Race pluses…

This race offers a stunning course – it starts at Point Judith Lighthouse and follows the RI coast up to the Narragansett Town Beach. Along the way, you’re treated to great coastal views and some beautiful beachfront property. (Having the picture-perfect weather we had, certainly didn’t hurt!)
While the course rolls a little, it’s fairly flat – the inclines that exist are gradual.
Free race photos!
The T-shirt is fun, and I think they hit a home run with the medal!

… and minuses

How do you ask runners to self-seed and not provide some kind of pace markers at the start?
The mobile lockers were advertised at $5 so to get to the front of the line and discover that the $5 locker was the size of a thimble and the woman managing the lockers was trying to get everyone to “upgrade” felt like a big bait and switch. On top of it, many runners (like us) only had exact change so you can imagine how well this worked out. We were able to jam my sweatshirt and the small bag we had into the locker but J ended up having to carry his sweatshirt the whole race.
Just a couple of extra volunteers positioned in the parking lot post-race would have gone a long way to making things run smoother when it was time to leave.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed the vibe of this race and only wish my hamstring had allowed me to run the race I wanted. While the distance was doable, I had to significantly slow my pace to finish, so clearly, I still have some work to do on my rehab.

I would run this race again in a heartbeat and will be looking to return next year!

I’m linking up with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

Filed Under: Ocean Road 10K, race report

Time for a little October coffee

October 5, 2018 by Michelle 24 Comments

It’s time once again for one of my favorite link-ups – the Ultimate Coffee Date. A time to dish a little about life happenings over a cup of coffee. So grab a mug of your favorite beverage and let’s join Coffee hosts Coco and Deborah and chat.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that October is probably my favorite month. Fall is usually in full swing at this point but Mother Nature’s still playing her own little game of bait and switch with the weather. I am looking forward to doing all the fun fall things like apple picking, hiking and leaf peeping, evening fires on the patio, and afternoon football games. October is also my anniversary month – my husband and I will be celebrating 26 years!

Over coffee, I’d tell you that my oldest son was home last weekend from school. He had an “open” weekend, which means no classes on Monday so he came home Saturday after his cross country meet. To say it was wonderful having him home would be an understatement. Seeing him so settled and at ease made dropping him off Monday night a little easier…but just a little 🙂

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I would admit that having only one child at home has taken some getting used to. On the one hand, it’s nice to have the extra one-on-one time with my youngest – on the other hand, parenting a high schooler from afar can present its own set of challenges.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that those house projects I mentioned last month over coffee are still waiting for me to get started. September was just non-stop and when I did have downtime, truthfully, all I wanted to do was veg. But I’m feeling re-inspired to freshen things up around here before the holidays come. I spent far too much time on Pinterest this past week and am planning to pick up paint samples for our home office this weekend. I also think I have convinced my husband our family room couch needs to be replaced. We’ll see how much I get accomplished over the next couple of months.

And, speaking of house projects, over coffee, I’d tell you that we had an HVAC contractor out to the house the other day to give us estimates for a new furnace/heating system and possibly central air. After hearing the estimates I seriously wonder sometimes if I picked the wrong profession! Do you think it’s too late to go back to school?!

So what would you tell me over coffee? Do you ever feel like you’re being taken for a ride by a contractor?

I’m also linking up with Rachel and Meranda and Lacey for the Friday Five.

Filed Under: Friday Five, Ultimate coffee date

Putting a wrap on September

October 2, 2018 by Michelle 24 Comments

Hello October!

With a fresh month laid out in front of us, I’m putting a wrap on September and eyeing a few October goals.

Running – In September, I started to slowly pull myself out of “run when I feel like it” mode and attempted to return to something that resembles a training plan. My weekly mileage was starting to build when my cranky hammy made a return appearance last week just before the Ocean Road 10K – sigh. I didn’t let it stop me from running and enjoying the race though (recap to come). For October, the goal is to continue to add miles and finish the month feeling ready to take on the Harborside Half.

Strength Work – I continued to make daily PT exercises the goal and for the most part, this was a win. The exercises are beyond tedious and I’m so ready to be over them…but apparently, my hammy continues to have other plans. So I’ll keep focusing on them in October, but plan to add back in some time with the kettlebells to keep things interesting.

Cross-Training – My goal for September was weekly yoga and I’m happy to say “done!” I also managed to slip in some kickboxing classes despite my hectic schedule – and there’s hope I’ll get to the boxing studio more in October.

Other Stuff – Returning to meal prep, restoring my morning routine, and a little time for self-care were also on my September goals list. A bit of a mixed bag here – while I’d give myself high marks for making two trips to the massage therapist this month, meal planning was a bit erratic, and the combination of work and solo parenting while my husband traveled for work completely derailed any sense of a morning routine. All three of these will be goals again in October.

And that’s a wrap!

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

And, with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

Filed Under: month in review, Tuesdays on the Run, Weekly Wrap

5 Runfessions for September

September 28, 2018 by Michelle 28 Comments

Marcia has opened the Runfessional, so let’s dive in shall we?

(This post contains affiliate links)

I runfess that I think I’m starting to turn into a fair-weather runner. First, the heat and humidity made running a miserable experience this summer and there were days when I just punted in favor of cross-training in an air-conditioned studio. Now Mother N is raining on my parade literally and while I’ve done some runs in the light rain, I’m just not up for torrential downpours!

I runfess that while I have made good progress with the ornery hip/hammy issue, things are far from perfect. Some days I wonder if things are getting better or if my pain tolerance is just increasing.

Thanks to my nagging issues, I runfess that I’m trying to resist the urge to explore new shoe options – because, of course, shoes fix everything! It’s been ages since I was properly fitted for shoes, and as I was advising a new runner friend about the importance of being fitted I started wondering if I shouldn’t be following my own advice.

I runfess that none of my nagging issues has diminished my desire to run all the races! I’ve got fall races on the calendar, including one this weekend and the 2019 calendar is starting to fill up. Plus, there’s still a marathon to run. Optimistic or crazy…or a little of both?

I runfess that since I started following the macro life diet plan I have become obsessed with ways to sneak in more protein – I mean c’mon, there’s only so much meat, fish, and chicken a girl can eat, right? I’ve been on a quest for protein snacks beyond bars, so I was giddy to see Protes protein popcorn in my latest StrideBox!

My latest obsession!

So tell me, got any runfessions to share?

I’m also linking up with Rachel and Meranda and Lacey for the Friday Five.

Filed Under: Friday Five, Runfessions

Harborside Week 3

September 23, 2018 by Michelle 33 Comments

Fall is officially here and best of all this past week Mother N got the memo and delivered some much cooler…dare I say, downright chilly at times, temps! You will hear absolutely no complaints out of me – just hoping it sticks around for a bit!

As I mentioned in last week’s wrap, this week was all about juggling. I was single parenting while J was on a business trip so I knew I was going to have to get creative if I wanted to get my workouts in. And I’m happy to say I was pretty successful fitting things in.

Squeezing it in

Instead of early morning runs, I settled for a couple of late afternoon 3-milers before school pick-up. There were also two “leg day” strength workouts, including a challenging session with my PT who wanted to see how my legs would respond to “stress” – translation, ouch! But, hands down, nothing made me happier than getting back to the kickboxing studio!

Last week I was convinced that yet another week was going to go by without a boxing class. But, as luck would have it, the heavy rain that swept in here on Tuesday (leftover from Florence) led to my son’s sports practice being canceled. So I picked him up early from school and had just enough time to drop him at home and then get to class.

It had been two weeks since I had seen the inside of this studio and while I held my own during the class I was working my tail off….and definitely felt it later! Love every minute of it!

The only thing I missed out on this week was time on my yoga mat – but I’m still hoping to get there before today is over.

Fun Mail

If you’ve been around here for a bit then you know that I’m a fan of StrideBox, and the September box they sent me did not disappoint!

I especially cannot wait to try the Protes protein popcorn and I love that this box included a stainless steel straw!

I also got a nice surprise from the folks at Headsweats as they sent all of the ambassadors tech shirts and stickers commemorating the company’s 20th anniversary!

And that’s a wrap on week 3!

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

Filed Under: #StrideBox, #TeamHeadsweats, half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap

Harborside Half Training Week 2

September 16, 2018 by Michelle 30 Comments

Happy Sunday!

I swear I blinked and this week went by! I was plagued by a migraine that slowed me down a little this week, but I did my best to get my workouts in. Here’s how the week played out…

Monday – Migraine hell. I managed to get through the work day, but not much else.

Tuesday – While I was definitely feeling some better, I was pretty sure a run was not the best choice, so I opted for my yoga mat.

Wednesday – It poured rain so I took my 3-mile run to the mill.

Thursday – I dodged the downpours and got 3 miles done. It was crazy humid, but at least there was cloud coverage. I also got a much-needed needed sports massage after work!

Friday – 60 mins of legwork with the physical therapist. Walking lunges, hamstring curls, glute bridges, single leg squats, and a ton of band work – hello jelly legs!

Saturday – My legs were not feeling it when my alarm went off so I opted to push my run to the afternoon – but the day turned out to be a pretty busy one and the run never happened.

Sunday – 4 miles on the struggle bus. This was a tough run from the first step. The hammy was quiet – I was just feeling off and never found a rhythm. I got to 4 and pulled the plug. Have I mentioned how tired I am of running in the humidity?!

Definitely a mixed bag of a week! On the plus side, my PT was really pleased with where I am and it looks like I could be “graduating” before the month is over. Unfortunately for the second week, I haven’t been able to figure out how to fit in a kickboxing class, and I miss it. And, since I’ll be single parenting it this upcoming week, I’m not holding out much hope for getting to the studio. As it is, I’ll need to be creative to get the runs done.

So that’s a wrap on week 2.

In case you missed it – check out my Fall Race Calendar

Are you still dealing with humidity where you are?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap

Harborside Half Marathon – Week 1

September 10, 2018 by Michelle 30 Comments

Now that I’ve set my sights on a couple of fall races, it’s probably time that I get back to something that resembles a training plan! With just 10 weeks until the Harborside Half, I used this past week to get my training started.

Monday – Yoga
Tuesday – 3-mile run
Wednesday – 45 minutes of strength work including my PT exercises
Thursday – 3-mile run
Friday – Yoga
Saturday – 4.25 mile run. With temps in the mid 60’s, this was definitely my best run of the week. While my hammy still squawks a bit going uphill, it no longer feels so limited in the range of motion, which is a huge plus!
Sunday – Rest day

All-in-all a decent week. Since I haven’t run a half marathon since Fall 2017, I have no big goals for this race other than to finish upright and smiling…and uninjured! I’m happy I made my way to the yoga mat twice – I think yoga will do a lot to keep me from the injured reserved list. I am bummed that I didn’t make it to a kickboxing class last week. Now that I’m back to picking my son up in the afternoon from school, I’m still trying to figure out between work and pick-ups how to fit a class in. I determined to get to at least one class this week – ideally two.

And that’s a wrap on Week 1!

How was your week? Do you find it hard to make it to scheduled classes?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

And with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Tuesdays on the Run, Weekly Wrap

September Fitness Goals

September 7, 2018 by Michelle 22 Comments

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know that I like to set monthly goals to help me to stay on track.

For August, I set out to hit 5 goals:

Continue daily PT exercises along with weekly visits with the physical therapist
Return to running 3 days a week
Continue cross-training twice a week (kickboxing and the Arc Trainer)
Complete the “Summer Blowout” challenge – designed by the kickboxing trainers – think a crazy mix of sit-ups, push-ups, squats, burpees, etc.
Feel ready to start half marathon training by September

I recently run-fessed that I punted on the goal of completing the Summer Blowout Challenge thanks to an overwhelming dislike of burpees. Burpees aside, I hit the rest of my goals, so let’s get to some targets for September!

Continue daily PT exercises – Super important especially since I’ll be winding down visits to the physical therapist this month.
Practice yoga weekly – I re-introduced myself to my yoga mat at the end of August and I’m in desperate need of making this a regular thing!
Re-establish my morning routine – With the kids home during the summer my routine kinda went out the window, so it’s time to restore some order to my mornings.
Return to weekly meal prep – I’ve been making way too many spur-of-the-moment trips to the grocery store lately, so it is time to get back to meal planning and prepping.
Make time for self-care — A sports massage (or two!) needs to find their way on to my calendar this month.

Sharing some September Fitness Goals! Share on X

Do you set monthly goals? What have you got planned for September?

I’m linking up with Rachel and Meranda and Lacey for the Friday Five.

Filed Under: Friday Five, goals

Fall running plans

September 4, 2018 by Michelle 23 Comments

Ever since I made the decision back in June that I would be deferring MCM, my fall race calendar has been left wide open. And with the god-awful humidity of this summer and rehabbing my hammy, I’ve been pretty happy to keep my running fairly low-keyed.

But we’re now entering into my favorite season for running and racing and it’s almost impossible for me to miss out on all the fun and not jump into at least one or two races.

So here’s what I’m thinking…

Ocean Road 10K — features a great course running up the Rhode Island coast to Narragansett. I was eyeing this one last year but it sold out before I could pull the trigger so I didn’t wait too long to make a decision this year. And, good thing too because it did sell out again! Added bonus – my husband J will be running with me!

Reebok 10K for Women — formerly the Tufts 10K, I haven’t run this race in a long time. It’s a fun run through Boston and held on Columbus Day. Hopefully, with the school holiday, I can make this one work.

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds 10K — this is a (new to me) local race that would fit nicely into my half marathon training plan …which leads me to…

Harborside Half Marathon — I had to take a DNS on this race last year so it would be great to get a chance to run this one!

Putting a couple of races on my fall calendar! Where are you racing? #TOTR #Runchat Share on X

I’m linking up with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.