Harborside Week 2 & an Upcoming LRB

September 10, 2017 by 34 Comments

So week 2 of Harborside training is done and an LRB awaits. What’s an LRB?  I’ll explain more but first a brief recap of this past week:
M – Rest day. Spent a great Labor Day touring around Newport with the family!
Tu – 5-mile run
W – Ankle PT and lower body strength work
Th – Yoga
F – 3-mile run
Sa – 9-mile (my longest in months!)
Su – Rest
It was a fairly uneventful week. Saturday’s nine miles was the longest I’ve run in a while – it was not without its ups and downs, especially in the final 2 miles, but I was very happy to see that 9 come across my Garmin!

OK, so what’s an LRB? A long run with benefits!

With the Wicked Half Marathon coming up on Saturday, this is technically “race week”. When I signed up for Wicked my main goal was just to join in on the Skirt Sports Ambassador meet up, run for fun, and finish upright. And, now given my sometimes temperamental ankle, those are still the goals. So the RC coaches want me to treat this as a long run… with benefits. Basically, it will be a 13-mile training run with course support and a medal 🙂 The challenge for me will be to not get swept up in the race atmosphere and try to do more than I should. The plan is to stick with the run:walk intervals, ignore my watch (pace-wise), and just run by feel.

So that said, this will be a pretty routine training week with no special race prep except to try to get a little more sleep-which has been lacking lately.

Have you ever used a race as a training run? 

I’m wrapping up another week with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Sara from Sara Runs This Town. If you do a weekly training recap, be sure to join into this great link-up!

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

5 goals for September

September 8, 2017 by 34 Comments

I figure before this month gets any older I better map out a few goals for the month.

Run 80 miles (at least) — I’d really like to hit 100 this month, but given my ankle’s unpredictable nature I’m hedging my bets a bit.

Re-establish my morning routine — Towards the end of the summer, my workouts were all over the place, essentially jamming them in when I could. I know I’m much better off when I get my workouts done early so that’s the goal.

Return to continuous running — Run:walk intervals have served me well in both dealing with the crazy humidity of this past summer and the cranky ankle, but I’d really like to transition back to continuous running.

Improve my fueling — I could do better here – both pre- and post-run.

Focus on self-care — This comes in many forms…daily rolling, yoga, sports massage, getting more sleep!

Sharing some goals for September for this week's #FridayFive What have you got planned? Share on X

What are your goals for this month?

I’m joining Rachel and Lacey & Meranda for the Friday Five link-up!

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Filed Under: Friday Five, goals

Harborside Week 1

September 3, 2017 by 25 Comments

Week 1 of Harborside Half training is in the books, and I’m happy to say Mother Nature cooperated by sending some fall-like temps my way. So let’s re-cap, shall we?

Monday:  Rest Day – Nailed it 😉 Both my husband and I had the day off from work so we took the kids to Kimball Farms for mini golf, bumper boats, arcade games, lunch and some of the best ice cream!

Tuesday:  A second day off from work meant more familly time! Covered 4.5 miles hiking with my family and the pup.

Wednesday: 3-mile run and a much-needed sports massage. My massage therapist spent a good deal of time on my left ankle, calf, and knee and urged me to see the chiro soon for more ankle work.

Thursday:  Between work and middle school parent orientation, my workout time got squeezed, but I did fit in my ankle PT work.

Friday:  Another run – this time for 5 miles.

Saturday:  I had planned to get some strength training in, but we ended up needing to go car shopping to replace my husband’s car. It turned into a much longer endeavor than I had expected. The good news is we found a car and got a good deal….but what a long process!

Sunday: 7-mile long run. Ths run was pretty good until it wasn’t – the ankle got cranky around mile 5 and then the mist turned into a downpour. Hello struggle bus!

All in all, not a bad first week. For this upcoming week, I need to make sure that both strength work and yoga happen. I’m also hoping to get that chiropractor visit in.

I’m linking up with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Montana from Pretty Lil Mudder. Please be sure to stop by and show all these ladies some love!

How was your week? Have had a taste of fall temps yet?

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

Coffee Date – Labor Day Edition

September 2, 2017 by 23 Comments

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Given how fast this summer has flown by I should not be at all surprised that we have already reached Labor Day weekend and the “unofficial end of summer.” Before I dive into this long weekend, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date link-up.  Grab a mug (or an iced coffee) and join me!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’m loving how much my family is embracing running. We went to my favorite running store this week and both my boys and husband walked out with new running shoes – and surprisingly I left with nothing more than salted watermelon GU! What?! Truth be told, my husband bought me the new Saucony Zealots as one of my birthday gifts just a couple of weeks ago.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that while I recently runfessed that I was way off my game getting organized for my boys to return to school, I now have all of their books and I’m blown away by how much we had to spend! Can someone please explain to me how my middle-schooler’s books cost almost as much as my high-schooler’s?!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that my precious puppy is now pushing 70 pounds and he’s not 7 months old yet! While lovable, he’s also a handful and stubborn, so before he gets any bigger we’ve decided to turn him over to our trainer for a 2-week board and train. We drop him off tomorrow – hopefully, he’ll come home more in control.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that we’ve been trying to squeeze as much as possible into these last few days of summer, including trips to the beach, hikes, and hitting some of our favorite summer spots.

In fact, we’re heading to Maine today, and I need to finish this coffee and get the car packed up.

What would you tell me over coffee? If you have a long weekend, do you have any plans?

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Filed Under: end of summer, family running, Ultimate coffee date

Kicking off Harborside Training

August 27, 2017 by 28 Comments

I’m wrapping up another week with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Teresa from Finding Fabulous at Fifty. Please be sure to stop by and show all these ladies some love!

Workouts for me this week were kinda meh. My work schedule continued to be hectic this week as I was finalizing the program launch I’ve been working on. So work, combined with kids being home (no camps this week) = jamming in workouts when I could. There was a lot of PT ankle work, daily planking, and yes, some running. I even squeezed in some speedwork on the mill at the end of a very long Wednesday, but my weekly yoga and cross-training took a backseat.

With today’s 7 mile run I kicked off my training for the Harborside Half! Back in July, I had runfessed that I was looking for a November goal race, in part so I could avoid heavy training in the heat. I also knew that given what was coming up on the family calendar for the fall, November would be quieter. There are a couple of local races I’ve been wanting to check out and have heard some great things about the Harborside Half, so I’m in!

While I have a decent base, the RC Coaches are going to have me start this training cycle with just 3 days of running, a couple of days of cross-training, plus yoga and a rest day. Once we’re sure my ankle’s totally onboard, I’ll probably move up to 4 days of running. I’m not 100% sure what my goals are for this race yet, but I do know that I really want to push myself during this training cycle and see what I can do!

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Harborside Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap

August Runfessions

August 25, 2017 by 26 Comments

It’s the last Friday of the month…so you know that means it’s time to join Marcia for runfessions! It’s a chance to cleanse your sweaty sole (like how I did that?) and start the new month fitness fresh! So let’s get to it, shall we?

My running mojo comes and goes like the wind lately, and I runfess that I’ve thought about phoning it in on my September half marathon…I won’t, but I’ve thought about it.

I’ve been really dragging lately, and I runfess that I was so tired on Wednesday that I  seriously toyed with the idea of just hiding in my car vs. driving to the gym (I did go to the gym).

I runfess that I’ve not been doing a great job focusing on my recovery. I’ve basically been squeezing in my runs or workouts and then rushing off to the rest of my day. I need to get back to being on consistent speaking terms with my foam roller, and make sure I’m refueling properly.

It's #Runfessions time on the blog today! Join in and share yours! #FridayFive Share on X

On the non-fitness front, I runfess that the start of school is less than two weeks away and I’m so not on top of my game. I may have pulled a late night the other day ordering textbooks so they’d arrive in time and we have no school supplies yet.

And speaking of back-to-school, I runfess that, while I’m totally unprepared, I’m secretly looking forward to the returning to a routine that the fall and school schedule brings.

There…now I feel better! Tell what are you run-fessing?

I’m also joining Rachel and Lacey & Meranda for the Friday Five link-up!

 

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Filed Under: back to school, Friday Five, Runfessions

Weekly Wrap – So Tired

August 20, 2017 by 37 Comments

 

This week was uber busy with much going on at both work and home. At work, I’m driving a huge program towards its launch date and also had a major fundraising event. On the home front, we’ve been redecorating my youngest son’s room (going from Red Sox theme to Boston Bruins – yes we love our hometown teams!) and starting to get ready for heading back to school. Put it all together, and I am just so tired!

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: 3-mile run. After Sunday’s pain-free run I was keeping my fingers crossed for this run, and it did not disappoint. I took it slow and easy and the ankle was happy.

Wednesday: Cross-training was planned, but schedules collided and it just didn’t happen. I did manage to squeeze in my PT exercises for my ankle.

Thursday: Yoga day!

Friday: I spent most of the day either traveling to and from the event site or doing event set-up. With 10,700 steps logged I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel about 800-meter repeats, but I didn’t want to miss a run day. So as soon as I got home, I changed and headed straight to the gym so I had the option of hitting the Arc Trainer if I couldn’t finish the repeats.  The repeats weren’t pretty, but I got ’em done!

My new fave compression sleeves!

Saturday: Event day – happy to say things ran smoothly, we had a great turnout, and I enjoyed, once again, playing race director. I logged 14,827 steps (that’s 6.58 miles!) and by the time I made the 2-hour drive home to say I was toast would be an understatement!

Sunday:  I allowed myself to sleep in before heading out to get another 5 miles in. My legs were so heavy and I quickly adopted the mantra “just a mind set” – I kept telling myself tired was just a mind set and instead tried to enjoy the low humidity (nice change!) and the fact that the ankle was still cooperating. The rest of the day was one of well-earned lazing on the deck.

With the ankle cooperating, I’m going to try to increase my mileage this week. Fingers-crossed!

I’m joining Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap, and this week’s guest host Madhuri.

 

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Filed Under: crazy week, Weekly Wrap

Guest Hosting the Weekly Wrap!

August 13, 2017 by 70 Comments

Happy Sunday and welcome to the Weekly Wrap!

I am so excited to be this week’s guest host while Holly and Tricia enjoy some time off from hosting duties this summer. Weekly Wrap brings together such a great group of active women supporting each other, and I am honored to be guest hosting.

If you’ve never joined the Weekly Wrap, I encourage you to dive right in! The rules are pretty simple. Visit and comment on as many blogs as you can, including the host blog. Please don’t just link and leave – let’s support each other! It’s a great way to discover new blogs and make new friends!

If you were here for my last Wrap, then you may remember I skipped last week’s long run, as my lack of quality sleep had left me totally drained. Well, what I didn’t share was that my left ankle was feeling super tight and my upper calf was sore, and I think even if I’d had the best of sleep the ankle would have kept me from hitting the road.

So, how did this week shake out?

Monday: I wasn’t taking any chances with the ankle, so I headed to my PT/chiro. The verdict? Ankle immobility was affecting my fibula head – I’ve been here before and had to fess up to lagging on any of my ankle exercises. So you can guess what my homework was!

Tuesday: After checking in with my RC coaches, we were in agreement to skip the speed work and cross train instead. So, I made a long-overdue return to my gym and hit the Arc Trainer. 40 minutes of cross-training done!

Wednesday: Yoga  – keeping to this month’s goal of at least one weekly session.

Thursday: Strength day including ankle work.

Friday: I was so hoping to run, and while the ankle felt better, it didn’t feel great. Back to the Arc Trainer I went for another round of cross-training, followed by foam rolling and more ankle work.

By the way, if you missed my post about the benefits of the Arc Trainer, you can read it here.

Saturday: Rest day filled with shopping and errands, and yes, more ankle work (are you sensing a theme?)

Sunday:  5-mile run! Babying my ankle all week paid off with a glorious morning run. OK – it was ridiculously humid, but I was running so I didn’t care. My pace was solid, and best of all the ankle stayed quiet until the last half mile – I’m calling that a win! Nice to end the week on a high note.

This week also brought some fun stuff in the mail, including these beauties:

One of my birthday presents from my hubby – Saucony Zealot 3

And, the August StrideBox arrived!

I have really been enjoying these StrideBoxes! It’s been a great way to discover some new products. This month’s box includes items from Bakery on Main, Eboost, Hungry Buddha, Vital 4U, Zealios, No Sweat, and Gear Well – all of which are new to me. Can’t wait to try them all! Huge thanks to the nice folks at StrideBox for the goodies.

So that’s my week, and now I’m off to enjoy some lazing on the deck 🙂

I'm hosting this week's #WeeklyWrap! Come on over and join this fun link-up! Share on X


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Filed Under: #StrideBox, Arc Trainer, Cross-training, listening to your body, Saucony, Weekly Wrap

5 Reasons to Love the Arc Trainer

August 11, 2017 by 8 Comments

This week my cranky ankle has forced me to find new ways to get some cardio in so I darkened the doorways of my gym (I cannot remember the last time I was there!), and re-introduced myself to the Arc Trainer.

After Tuesday’s sweat fest that left my quads and glutes burning, I was quickly reminded why I love this machine. So for this week’s Friday Five, I’m sharing some reasons to hit the Arc Trainer!

Cardio without the pounding – the Arc Trainer really allows you to get your heart rate up for a good cardio workout without the pounding of other machines. I have never been able to get my heart rate going on an elliptical or stepper, so for me, this is a huge win!

Easier on the joints – According to Cybex, who makes the Trainer, the arc path of the foot pedals moves legs in a biomechanically correct pathway and avoids allowing the toe to move behind the knee, which can stress the joint. The Arc Trainer is designed to only generate force during the weight bearing cycle of your gait, with the goal of increasing your calorie burn with reduced stress on the ankle, knee, and hip joints.

Range of muscle engagement – the Arc Trainer offers a wide range of variable resistance and inclines. Higher inclines emulate a stepping motion, targeting your quads, while lower inclines with increased resistance target your glutes and hammies. If you use the Total Body model then you can also use the moving handles to work your arms and chest. (Side note: the Trainer has two models – Total Body and Lower Body – lucky for me, my gym has both!) I like that the Trainer’s display screen features a “muscle map” so you can see which muscles you’re targeting as you adjust the incline and resistance.

Program variety – the ability to mix and match the range of resistance settings and inclines means you can continuously challenge yourself. The Trainer also features both high and low-intensity pre-programmed workouts. Basically, the way you use the machine can be very different from one day to the next – helps to keep the boredom factor down, which is tough on any cardio machine!

Offers both strength & endurance – you can strengthen multiple muscle groups while improving your endurance, getting a bigger bang for your workout!

Check out 5 reasons to use the Arc Trainer! #FridayFive Share on X

I was first introduced to the Arc Trainer more than a year ago by Trainer Stacy, but with time away from the gym had forgotten just how effective it can be. I’m now looking forward to making it a consistent part of my training!

I’m joining in with Rachel from Running on Happy and Lacey & Meranda from Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five link-up!

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Arc Trainer, Cross-training, Friday Five

Weekly Wrap – 6 weeks to Wicked

August 6, 2017 by 31 Comments

I hate to sound like a broken record but I really do feel like these weeks are just flying by! Anyone else feeling that way?

There are just 6 weeks to my next race, the Wicked Half Marathon.

Actually, thanks to the nagging hip/glute/piriformis thing, Wicked will be my first race of 2017. Gotta say that I’m glad I don’t have any big goals for this race, other than to finish upright and have fun, cause I feel like my training mojo comes and goes. While in the past two weeks I’ve been motivated to hit the track for speedwork and even worked in hill repeats…err this week…not so much. Here quickly is how the week shook out:

Monday – Since of late I’ve been running long on Sundays, Mondays are a total rest day.

Tuesday – A back-to-basics strength workout filled with lots of lunges, squats, and bridges in addition to the daily planks.

Wednesday – I enjoyed a break in the temps and got out an early for 4 miles.

Thursday – After a crazy hectic day, I got some much needed yoga in.

Friday – Kicked off my birthday with some miles with my husband – gotta run on your birthday right?!

Saturday – Yard work, planting, and cleaning counted as my cross-training.

Sunday – I have been battling poor quality sleep all week and when the alarm went off for this morning’s run it had all caught up with me. I was wiped out! I tried playing the re-set the alarm game, hoping an extra half hour…then hour would make a difference, but it wasn’t getting any better. So I decided to skip the run and give my body what it needed – sleep!

Hopefully I will not regret skipping today’s 8 miles. I’m not sure why my sleep has been so bad this week – I’ve been trying to get to bed at a reasonable hour, and falling a sleep hasn’t been the problem – staying asleep is another story! Fingers-crossed this week will be better.

How do you overcome bouts of bad sleep?

I’m joining in with Hoho, Tricia, and guest host Heather for the Weekly Wrap. Be sure to stop by and check out what they’ve been up to!

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Filed Under: Sleep, Weekly Wrap, Wicked Half Marathon