half marathon training

Run to Remember Training – 5 Weeks to go

April 23, 2018 by Michelle 30 Comments

Happy Monday!

I find it kind of hard to believe that it’s just 5 short weeks until Boston’s Run to Remember.

As I start to increase my weekly mileage, I think my biggest challenge this week was just trying to fit in 4 days of running. I haven’t run 4 days in a week since last fall, and it’s clear that I need to do a better job of planning my runs – especially those mid-week runs longer than 5 miles.

Last week also marked the first attempt at “speed work” in a while with 800-meter repeats – now that was a shock to the system! They were challenging and I was really happy to make it through this workout.

It was also nice to have Mother Nature play nice and finally see blue skies by the end of the week!

Sunday’s long run was an eight miler, and I have to say it wasn’t as strong a run as I’d hoped for. I hadn’t been sleeping well all week (actually for the past two weeks) and the cumulative effect caught up with me on this run. My legs just didn’t want to go so this run was a real mental battle. But I did get my eight miles!

Last week was also week 3 of Rachel’s Tricep Dips, Push-ups, and Jump Squats Challenge. And honestly, this challenge and my daily planks were really the only strength training that happened. My schedule was pretty hectic this week so these mini workouts fit in perfectly. Unfortunately, what was missing this week was yoga or any form of cross-training.

For this week, I’ll be doing my best to make sleep a priority and to get back to the yoga mat at least once. I’ve also got a 10-mile long run scheduled, so this will give me a chance to start to figure out my fueling strategy for the half.

In other news…

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The offer is only good through April 24 so get shopping!

How many days a week do you typically run? Are you training for anything right now?

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: #skirtsports, Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, Skirt Sports Ambassador, Tuesdays on the Run, Weekly Wrap

Easing into half marathon training

April 9, 2018 by Michelle 40 Comments

With a couple of weeks of decent…and more importantly, pain-free running under my belt, I’m finally feeling like I can begin to focus on training for the Run to Remember Half.

The race is Memorial Day Weekend so that gives me just about 7 weeks to start extending my long runs beyond the 6-miles I’ve been running and to add in some speedwork and tempo runs. And, while I’m two weeks out from the Portland 10 Miler, Run to Remember is my goal race for the Spring. I plan to use Portland as a tune-up to get me to back to double digits since I ended up missing out on Black Cat last month.

So with training underway, here’s a quick recap of how last week went.

Monday – Rest day, but I signed on for Rachel’s newest challenge, Tricep Dips, Push-ups & Jump Squats so it was 30 tricep dips and my usual plank to kick off the week.

Tuesday – A crazy work day had me swapping my Tuesday and Wednesday workouts, so I did strength training, including the challenge’s 30 push-ups. It’s been a while since I’ve done push-ups and clearly have some work to do here!

Wednesday – 6 miles followed by 30 jump squats.

Clearly, I have not mastered the mid-air selfie 🙂

Thursday – I was on the road for work all day, and too much time in the car had me feeling like a pretzel. So I just spent a lot of time stretching and did get my 40 tricep dips done.

Friday – Another freak snow storm and colliding family schedules left me to push my run to Saturday, but I did get the 40 push-ups done along with my daily plank.

Saturday – While I futzed around most of the morning cause I just didn’t feel like running, once I got out on the road the run felt great. 40 more jump squats completed the first week of the challenge.

Sunday – Another 6 miles – This run was hard because I so misread the weather and was underdressed for the cold wind.

Wrapping up another week and easing back into half marathon training! #runchat #runtoremember Click To Tweet

This week should be much quieter on the work front so the goal will be 3 runs, plus at least two strength workouts. I didn’t break out my yoga mat at all last week, so I’d also like to get some yoga in too.

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap; and with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

How was your week? Are you training for a spring race?

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

Harborside Wk 6 – Quick update

October 8, 2017 by Michelle 37 Comments

Week 6 of Harborside training is done and there’s not a ton to report this week. As I mentioned over coffee yesterday, it was another one of those weeks where I didn’t know if I were coming or going. But in an effort to stay consistent on recapping my training, here’s a quick review.

Monday – Rest day

Tuesday – 3.25 miles. I was starting to not feel so hot so I pushed the run to the afternoon. There was a lot of self-talk to get myself out the door, but once I was moving I actually felt pretty good, so I’m glad I went.

Wednesday – Week 2 of gym meet-ups with my friend E

Thursday – 5 x 800-meter repeats were on the plan, but I woke up feeling pretty lousy. I spent the day working from my couch and while I hated to miss time at the track, I decided rest was the better choice.

Friday – E and I decided to head outdoors instead of another trip to the gym. We did a 4-mile walk at a brisk pace and my legs were surprisingly sore after (funny how walking can do that!).

Saturday – Had a great run with my husband, despite the ridiculous humidity (c’mon Mother N!) and we were rewarded with this view as we reached the top our last hill.

Nothing flashy this week, but given how I was feeling most of the week, I’ll take it! As always, I’m joining Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap.

How was your week? Do you still run when you’re not feeling great or do you take a rest day?

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

Harborside Week 4

September 24, 2017 by Michelle 26 Comments

Week 4 of Harborside Half training is done and what blur of a week it was! It was one of those weeks where you stare at the calendar on Sunday night, take a deep breath, and brace yourself for the scramble to come. J was traveling so I was doing the single-parent thing…throw in the dog returning from board and train and the usual school/sports/homework dash and you start to get the picture.

Source: Tiny Budha

Workouts happened when they happened…there was some running, a little hiking, time on the Arc Trainer, and some yoga…with an assist from the newly-returned pup!

New meaning to downward dog!

I also got some time with my massage therapist who gave me an earful about needing to balance my running with more strength work. She has a point…strength work was noticeably absent from this week’s workouts and has been hit or miss lately. Past experience has taught me that I am not one of those people who can just run…my body holds up much better when supported by strength training.

So this upcoming week I’m re-committing to strength training. My friend E just joined my gym and we’ve made a pact to meet every Wednesday (and most Fridays when kids sports schedules allow). I’ll be incorporating the RunnersConnect Kettlebell for Runners program. I had started to do some kettlebell work with Trainer Stacey before she left and I’m looking forward to getting back at it.

So how was your week? Are you consistent with strength training?

I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. If you do a weekly training recap, be sure to join this great link-up for inspiration and motivation!

Filed Under: half marathon training, Harborside Half Marathon, Schedule vs Training, Strength training, Weekly Wrap

Harborside Half Training Week 3

September 17, 2017 by Michelle 20 Comments

And just like that, we’re already halfway through the month! It’s Sunday again so I’m joining Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. If you do a weekly training recap, be sure to join this great link-up!

This week was definitely all over the place – it started with my foot wrapped in ice and ended with an LRB.

Monday: Rest day. So how does one end up injured on a rest day? I’m still asking myself that question. One minute I’m pacing around my kitchen on the phone for work and all of the sudden I take a step and I’m hit with a shooting pain in my foot. I’m talking “stop you in your tracks” pain. WTH?! I hobbled the rest of the afternoon and evening but was convinced it would be fine for Tuesday’s run.

Tuesday: No run – in fact, my foot actually hurt more! Again, WTH? So I spent a good bit of the day like this:

Wednesday: Time to get over the mini pity party I was starting to throw for myself. Upper body workout on the Bosu and then a trip to the chiropractor.

My chiro was as baffled as I was by the sudden pain. He did a stress fracture test and then went to work on my foot and ankle. While not fun, my foot felt a lot better afterward. When I told him my plan to run the Wicked Half as an LRB, he gave me the hairy eyeball and let it be known he didn’t love my plan.

Thursday: 3-mile run – the foot was a little sore, but the run gave me hope I might be able to pull off Saturday’s half.

Friday: Rest day. I ran errands, met a friend for lunch, and then headed up to Salem to meet some of the Skirt Sports Ambassadors for a pre-race dinner. This meet-up was so much fun – there was lots of running talk and lots of laughs!

Thanks to Serena for the photo!

Saturday: Wicked Half Marathon – aka, LRB (long run with benefits!) I’ll be doing a separate recap on Tuesday, but I will share that it was 100% humidity, the ankle was done after mile 8, but I completed my main goal of finishing upright and smiling! Half marathon #13 done.

Needless to say, today was a total rest day, and thankfully the ankle’s a little sore but otherwise not too bad.

Talk to me – how was your week?

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

Harborside Week 2 & an Upcoming LRB

September 10, 2017 by Michelle 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!

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

Harborside Week 1

September 3, 2017 by Michelle 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?

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

Weekly Wrap – Feeling the Heat

July 23, 2017 by Michelle 37 Comments

Yeah, this pretty much sums up this week’s workouts! Another heat wave hit the Boston area this week, and by Tuesday I had given up even bothering to open the weather app on my phone. The workouts were a little all over the place, but here’s how it went down.

Monday — Since I ran Sunday and was planning to hit the track Tuesday, I took Monday as a rest day. I had dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in months and we had an epic catch-up session that may have involved a couple of pomegranate martinis. So good, but so not the “hydration” to have before track day 😉

Tuesday — Suffice it to say I didn’t get to the track, but I did get an ab/hip/leg workout in.

Wednesday — 90% humidity had me seriously questioning the whole running thing, but I eked out 3 miles.

Thursday — Another lower body strength workout followed by a massage!

Friday — I had planned to make up Tuesday’s track workout, but for some crazy reason I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and I was wide awake brain racing! Uggh. After lying awake for what seemed forever, I must have finally fallen asleep and promptly slept through my alarm. I didn’t have enough time to get to the track before work so it would have to wait.

Saturday — Finally made it to the track! I was determined not to skip this workout and it was my best of the week!

Sunday — Saturday’s long run became today’s run. Since I was still feeling the effects of a busy Saturday and I knew the humidity was supposed to finally relent a bit, I opted to sleep in and take on my run in the afternoon. It was still a heat-fest but having my husband along helped keep me going, and we made it through 6.2 miles.

All-in-all, not a bad week. We’re getting a ton of rain tomorrow and then cooler temps (relatively speaking) will be rolling in. I’m looking forward to getting a break from the steam bath!

I’m linking up with Holly & Tricia, and this week’s guest host Darlene.

Filed Under: half marathon training, Summer running, track work, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Slow return to training

July 9, 2017 by Michelle 40 Comments

The first full week of July is in the books, and it’s time for the Weekly Wrap with Holly, Tricia, and this week’s guest host Christine. Definitely be sure to stop by and check out all of the great ladies who join in for this link-up!

So how’d things shake out this week? Here’s a quick run down…

Sunday – 4-mile run. A rare Sunday run for me, but I had missed running Saturday due to family plans. And besides, the morning was too beautiful to pass up! Also, I got back to daily planks.

Monday – Rest day.
Tuesday – The track was calling – I swear 800-meter repeats never get easier!

Wednesday – OK so I may have gotten a bit ambitious at the track 😉 I had plans on a strength workout, but listened to my legs and opted for rest.
Thursday – 5.5-mile run.
Friday – Strength work and chiro visit.
Saturday – 3.4 miles – this was supposed to be a 6 or 7-mile run but for some reason, nothing felt good on this run. My stride felt off and so did my breathing. After a solid week of running, the wheels came off the wagon a bit. I’m chalking it up to being just “one of those days!”
Sunday – Feeling especially tight today, so I went with some gentle yoga.

So as the title of this post alludes, this week marked a return to training. While I enjoyed taking June at a leisurely pace, I know the fall race season will be here in a blink of an eye so it’s time to ease back into a training plan. I still haven’t settled on a goal race, but the RC coaches and I are leaning towards a couple of November options with a possible tune-up race or two. I did sign up for the Wicked Half and I’m looking forward to the Skirt Sports Ambassador meet-up. This race will be for fun and should help me to get focused. It’s a mere 68 days away, so Saturday runs will get longer and I’m going to try to keep one day for speed work.

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

RtR Week 6 Wrap-up

April 16, 2017 by Michelle 22 Comments

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who weighed in on my training dilemma. It was interesting to hear others’ perspectives.

This past week for me was filled with yoga, PT exercises, daily planking…and yes a little running. Wednesday’s run of 4.25 miles was hard fought and left me almost certain that switching to the half to the 5-miler was the only option. Then came Saturday…

Saturday’s 6.5 miles gave my confidence a nudge in the right direction…while far from pain-free, things got better as the run progressed. I went from almost throwing in the towel at the 2-mile mark after having to walk the end of a short hill to powering up a much bigger hill in mile 4. And though I certainly wasn’t trying to, my Garmin showed each mile was just slightly faster than the last.

It was nice to end the week on a higher note…though I’m still no closer to deciding what to do about the race distance. So was this run the sign of light at the end of the tunnel?

The RC coaches have weighed in and think it might be better to stay in my current comfort zone where I know I can complete the distance and spend the next 6 weeks getting the hip completely where it needs to be. They can tell I’m having a hard time letting go of the idea of the half and are supporting my hemming and hawing for another week 🙂

Linking up with Holly and Tricia for the #WeeklyWrap. Please be sure to head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training and life happenings!