Shaking Things Up

November 12, 2018 by 22 Comments

Happy Monday!

I missed last week’s Weekly Wrap because I was just coming off a week of dealing with a stomach bug, so needless to say there wasn’t much to recap. Thankfully, by Sunday, I was finally back to running and this past week was a decent mix of running, some yoga, and cross training in the form of leaf raking.

Time to Shake Things Up

While being sick is never fun, laying low did give me some time to step back and start to think about goals for the upcoming year.  One thing I know for sure is that it’s time to get out of the cycle of injury; pseudo-recovery; pushing too hard; then back to injury – it’s been a frustrating cycle which has impeded the way I have wanted to train and race, along with impacting my joy of running. Time to shake things up…

So I think the first big step in the right direction is that I’ve hired a new coach.  I first met Coach Marc when I attended his ChiRunning workshop last year. I really enjoyed the clinic and his style and have been thinking for a while that he would be someone I’d be interested in working with. I’ve occasionally been in touch with Marc since the clinic, but when I got an email from him a couple of weeks ago, it came at just the right time. We had a great conversation and by the end of our call, I knew this was a great step in the right direction.

I’ll be sharing more about my work with Coach Marc in future posts as we work together to build a year-long plan to get me to a fall marathon, with some fun races along the way!

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

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

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Filed Under: running coach, Tuesdays on the Run, Weekly Wrap

Wrapping up October Madness

October 29, 2018 by 20 Comments

October Madness!

Is that a thing? It sure felt like it around here this month. Juggling long stints of single parenting, multiple work events, and lots of school activities left my head spinning and feeling a little discombobulated. And, while there was also some fun with family and friends mixed in, I am finishing October t-i-r-e-d!

On the fitness front, my schedule left me in a state of “do what you can when you can.” While there was some cross training on the Arc Trainer and a little time on the yoga mat, I stumbled on my consistency with my PT exercises as the month wore on, and my running success yo-yo’d. I seem to stall out around 4 miles, before the radiating pain in my right hammy flares. As such, my longest run of the month was just 6 miles – and, if you follow me on Instagram then you know that the wheels really came off the wagon on Sunday’s run and had me questioning my ability to return to 13.1 any time soon.

So, as we turn the page to November, the goal is pretty simple – be consistent! My schedule should be much quieter so that should help. I’ll also be spending some quality time with my massage therapist and checking in with the physical therapist. Will see if my mileage can be increased safely in time, but I’m determined to not let my lack of running cast a shadow over all I can do.

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

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

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

PT Update and Swapping Races

October 15, 2018 by 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.

 

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

Putting a wrap on September

October 2, 2018 by 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.

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

Harborside Half Marathon – Week 1

September 10, 2018 by 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.

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

Fall running plans

September 4, 2018 by 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 Click To Tweet

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

Where are you racing this fall?

 

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Filed Under: fall racing, race calendar, Tuesdays on the Run

Wrapping up July

July 30, 2018 by 32 Comments

I swear if I were running at a pace equal to how fast these days are clipping by I’d have a PR or two!

Instead, as I predicted, in my July goals, the month was very low-key on the running front. And, honestly could stay that way for the rest of the summer. But before I look ahead to August, Iet’s quickly wrap-up July.

Running – July was my lowest monthly mileage of the year, and if it hadn’t been for the RnR Chicago Remix I might have run even fewer miles. Both the hip and knee made it clear that time off and extra self-care were needed. I even finished the month with a week of non-running – though I did make an exception to log a little road time with my youngest son!

Strength Work – I made daily PT exercises a goal and for the most part, this was a win, as the only days I missed were during the Chicago weekend. I also logged 7 hours working with the physical therapist, leaving most sessions with jelly legs as Abby has really pushed me with a lot of single leg work. My plank streak also grew to 211 days, and thanks to the 5-minute Plank Challenge, I upped the ante on the length of planks.

Cross-Training – My July goal was to get to kickboxing class twice a week. Unfortunately, work and camp pick-ups made this a challenge so I had to settle for a weekly class and supplemented with time spent on the Arc Trainer.

Macro Plan & Weight Loss – I started following a macro plan in July and did hit my goal of doing a better job with meal planning and prep. I spent the month trying to figure out how to scale back on the carbs a bit while increasing my protein. As a result, I saw just a half pound off the scale but did lose a half inch in my waist.

I’m still noodling over August goals, so, for now, 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.

How was your July? Have you set any goals for August?

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

Meeting Runner Friends and RnR Chicago 5K

July 24, 2018 by 19 Comments

Ah, my Chicago Weekend – I’m honestly not sure that I’m going to be able to do justice to the fun that was had this weekend. While yes there were races, for me this weekend was so much more about the amazing connections I’ve made through running than it was about the running itself.

I couldn’t possibly encapsulate everything in one post so this will be a two-part recap. Let’s get started…

Friday – Let the fun begin!

I arrived in Chicago around noon and took the L from O’Hare into the city. After getting a little turned around, leaving the train station I soon found the W Hotel. No sooner had I checked in then I heard someone call my name, and turned around to find Deborah’s smiling face. We quickly dropped our bags in our rooms and headed off to meet Kim at the expo. Deborah and I easily fell into conversation – it was much more like catching up with an old friend than meeting someone for the first time.

The RnR Expo was held at McCormick Place. Packet pick-up was quick and easy, including changing my registration from the half marathon to the 10K. I was disappointed to see how small the race shirts were running and the fact that we were told exchanges couldn’t be done at the expo. The other snafu was neither Deborah or I were given the bracelets needed for the Remix Challenge (we remedied that later). Kim quickly found us and set off to check out the expo. I first met Kim at RnR Vegas in 2016 – it was so great to see her again! Added bonus, we got to meet Kim’s mom – she is awesome. I love that she runs so many races with Kim!

Among the vendors we checked out, we stopped at the KT Tape booth – and I have to say this may have been my saving grace. Leading into the weekend I had been really worried about both my hip and my knee – huge props to the KT rep who taped my knee! I could feel a difference just walking around the expo.  

Overall the expo seemed a little on the small side, but I did pick up this cute Brooks shirt.

This pic doesn’t due the deep blue color justice

We headed back to the hotel to wait for the “other” Kim to arrive. Kim and I were sharing a room for the weekend – despite not having met before I was pretty sure we would hit it off…and spoiler alert we did 🙂 That night we had a great dinner at Barrio.

Saturday – More Runner Friends & the 5K

With the 5K scheduled to start at 7:30, our group planned to meet up at 7. Deborah, Kim, and I walked the .8 mile to the start and caught up with Marcia, Sara, Emily, Kim and her mom. It was overcast and drizzly, but we were all smiles, reminding each other it was better than the blistering heat July in Chicago could bring.

Knowing that I had the 10K to run Sunday, I seriously toyed with power-walking the 5K. Despite all the walking on Friday (5.5 according to my Garmin), my taped knee was feeling pretty good, but what my hip would allow was anybody’s guess. Once the race started, in typical 5K fashion, it took a bit to find any open space to run. I settled into 5:1 run/walk intervals and figured I’d give the run a go until my hip said otherwise. While I was far from quick, it was a nice steady run and, best of all, the hip stayed quiet! Win!

Next up was a blogger brunch at Beatrix! There we were joined by Holly, Wendy, Linda, and Suz waiting for us! Sara and her husband soon followed. I absolutely loved the energy at the table – so many fun stories, so many laughs! I know I may sound like a broken record but you would have never guessed that many of us were meeting for the first time!

I’ll leave it here – the rest of the weekend highlights and 10K recap later this week….

Check out part 1 of my RnR Chicago weekend and epic blogger meet-up! #RNRChi #EpicBloggerMeetUp #RocknBlog #Runnerfriends Click To Tweet

Have you ever participated in a blogger meet-up?

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

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Filed Under: #RocknBlog, blogger meet-ups, race report, RnR Chicago, Runner Friends, Tuesdays on the Run

April Wrap-Up and May Goals

April 30, 2018 by 20 Comments

And just like that, another month is coming to a close! So it’s time for a quick wrap-up of how things shook out in April.

Running – There were 60.55 miles on the road and the mill. Following the recommendation of my massage therapist, I shelved my new Mizuno Skys and went back to running in the Saucony Zealots. I also added in the new Kinvara 9s (I use to run in Kinvaras all the time until Saucony messed with the design). So far so good!

Strength Work – Thanks to the Tricep dips, Push-ups, and Jump Squats challenge there was some focus on strength training this month. And, my plank streak continues to roll along (120 days and counting!)

Cross-Training – Just a little time was spent on the Arc Trainer, but my poor yoga mat was often neglected.  Basically, as my schedule grew more hectic during the month, non-running workouts took a backseat.

May Goals

With the Run to Remember Half at the end of the month, there will obviously be a big focus on building mileage. If I complete all of the runs on my training plan, then I should hit around 85 miles.

And, with the increase in mileage, I know I have to keep up the self-care (rolling, massage) and the PT exercises that seem to help keep the piriformis happy and quite.

I also know that I do better if I don’t “just run” so weekly yoga sessions and some time with the kettlebells will also be part of the plan.

Overall the goal for May is consistency!

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

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

How was your April? What are you looking forward to in May?

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

Run to Remember Training – 5 Weeks to go

April 23, 2018 by 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…

(In case you’re not following me on Instagram) Don’t forget to take advantage of the great deal going on with Skirt Sports!

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.

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