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

Wrapping up a long week

April 15, 2018 by 41 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Lots of stuff happening on the home front made this a tough week. While I’m going to refrain from getting into details, I will say parenting is hard especially as your kids get older and you can’t always “fix” things. It’s hard to watch your child struggle.

I also had to take a deferral on next weekend’s race. Family schedules and my husband needing to fly out for a business trip earlier than originally expected made a trip to Maine not possible. Thankfully the race offered a deferment so I’ve already got my first race for 2019. (Gotta look at the positives, right?)

So yeah it’s been one of those weeks where running wasn’t just something I wanted to do, it was something I needed – “road therapy” as I like to call it.

Here’s how the week’s workouts went down:

Monday – My usual rest day plus 50 triceps dips for the dips, push-ups, and squats challenge.

Tuesday – 6 miles including 2×2 mile intervals plus 50 push-ups. Good grief this was a challenging run, but I was pleased with how it went.

Wednesday – Did an at home strength workout and mixed in the 50 squats for the challenge. I noticed a little soreness in my shins so I stuck to regular squats instead of the jump squats.

Thursday – After a horrible night of sleep or rather not sleeping, I decided to take a rest day. I did get my 60 tricep dips done and saw my massage therapist.

Friday – I wanted to make up for Thursday’s missed run, so it was 5 miles with 3 at a steady pace, followed by 60 push-ups. The best part was the weather as it finally felt like spring!

Saturday – 60 squats and 6 miles of being tailed by the struggle bus. I could feel the cumulative effects of the week both physically and emotionally making this run feel much longer than it really was. On the flip side, it did give me the chance to sort some things out … road therapy!

And I kept my daily plank streak going on Day 105 as of today!

Today is a much-needed rest day and I’m looking forward to just lounging around the house with my family. Thanks to the forecasted bitter temps and sleet, we have a rare Sunday without lacrosse games. I plan to enjoy the slow pace, watching movies and an epic family game of Risk later.

Tell me something about your week?

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

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Filed Under: Weekly Wrap

Easing into half marathon training

April 9, 2018 by 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.

Run to Remember Training Update

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?

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

March Wrap-Up

April 2, 2018 by 27 Comments

Happy Monday!

I was going to say “Happy Spring” but as I type this I’m watching snow fall again. Seriously?!? Hard to believe that I ran yesterday in a long sleeve top and skirt and at times felt too warm. After dealing with 3 nor’easters during the month of March I have given up trying to predict what Mother N will do next!

So with the new month laid out before me, it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the month that was March.

Running – I fell short of my 70-mile goal thanks to the aforementioned weather and to one very irritable piriformis. This pain in the butt (literally) cost me some time on the road and led to a DNS for the Black Cat 10. On the upside, thanks to babying the heck out of said muscle and doing my PT exercises like it was my job, I finished the month feeling much stronger and running pain-free!

Strength Work – In addition to all of the PT work, my plank streak continued (Day 91!), and I managed one strength session weekly.

Cross-Training – With less running, I spent some quality time on the Arc Trainer and the bike. I also managed a weekly yoga session following a program with Daily Om.

All-in-all, not a bad month. My April goals are pretty straightforward – add more mileage while keeping the piriformis happy and make it to the starting line of the Portland 10 Miler. And hopefully, in the process, the spring weather will finally come and stick around for a while.

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

How was your March? Has Spring made an appearance where you are?

 

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Filed Under: month in review, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Looking for Spring

March 18, 2018 by 40 Comments

After dealing with a 3rd nor’easter in a little over 2 weeks, to say I’m ready for spring would be a huge understatement!

Storm aside, it was a fairly uneventful week. J and the boys were away enjoying some skiing for spring break, leaving me and the pup at home to enjoy a quiet house.

Monday – Yoga – Of late, I’ve been enjoying some of the yoga workouts from DailyOm. Currently, I’ve been trying out the “Gentle Yoga for Athletic Restoration” course.

Tuesday – I had hoped to get an early run in before the snow really got going, but when the high winds woke me up at 3:30 a.m. I knew a run was highly doubtful. Instead, I wracked up a couple of hours of shoveling and playing in the snow with my dog – Cross-training – check!

Wednesday – I felt like a pretzel thanks to all the shoveling so I was very happy to have already had a massage planned. In reviewing her notes, my massage therapist raised the question about my newest shoes. Interestingly, it would seem that there might be a correlation between when my current woes started and my switching to the Mizunos. While it could be nothing, we agreed that I’d back off running in them for a bit while I focus on getting back to 100%.

Thursday – Snow mounds and black ice, meant a return to the mill for an easy 3 miles.

Friday – PT exercises (and yes, the plank streak continues – Day 75!)

Saturday – 5 more miles on the mill. I could have taken this run outside, but I admit I’ve lost my desire to bundle up and brave the cold wind. The gym was quiet and the March Madness games were a good distraction.

Sunday – Another yoga session with the DailyOm.

While the right glute and hammy are still cranky, I’m in a much better place than I was just two weeks ago, and that’s a good thing. I’ll be curious to see if changing up the shoes makes a difference.

Have you ever swapped shoes due to an injury?

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

 

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Filed Under: Weekly Wrap

Keeping my eye on the prize

March 11, 2018 by 20 Comments

If you read last week’s wrap up then you know I was contemplating taking a DNS on the Black Cat 10 miler thanks to a very cranky piriformis. The truth is I knew even as I was typing that post that the chances of my actually running Black Cat were slim. But we runners always hold out hope, right?

Well, I eeked out a run on Tuesday, but it was a lot of effort for a short 3 miles with my piriformis talking back most of the way. Decision made – it was not worth it to push it for what was basically going to be a training run.

Once that decision was out of the way, the rest of the week seemed to get a lot easier. I babied the heck out of my right leg, returned to some of my PT exercises, hit the yoga mat, and spent some time on the Arc Trainer. I also managed two more runs – both slow and easy with 5:1 run-walk intervals and finished the week with 12.5 miles. Surprising…and I’ll take it as a win!

So this week will be more of the same so I can get back to training for the races I have planned for the spring. Next up is the Portland 10 Miler in April and then Boston’s Run to Remember Half in May.

Have you ever taken a DNS? What’s next on your race calendar?

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

 

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Filed Under: DNS, focusing on goals, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Looking for a Silver Lining

March 4, 2018 by 37 Comments

Happy Sunday!

It has been one whirlwind of a week and I am so happy to be on the backside of it. Before I put it firmly in my rearview mirror, let’s recap shall we?

Monday – Rest day, as usual. Completed plank streak day 57 and 100 Bird-Dogs for the final week of the Superman, Squats, Twists Challenge. I substituted bird-dogs for the supermans because they agree more with my lower back.

Tuesday – I had presentations to give for work which required almost 6 hours of driving to and from – needless to say I felt like a pretzel by the day’s end. After some gentle yoga poses, I eeked out 50 of the 100 challenge squats plus plank day 58 and called it a day.

Wednesday – 3 miles soaking in a beautiful 60 degree day! This run probably felt the best since coming back from being sick. I followed it up with planking and 100 twists to wrap up the SST Challenge.

Thursday – I was on the road again for work, but thankfully there was less time in the car. I question my sanity but I did join Rachel’s Total Body Challenge, which kicked things off with 10 burpees. I absolutely hate burpees so it will be a miracle if I make it through…but I do love a good challenge.

Friday – I woke up to the howling wind of the Nor’easter bearing down on us so I headed to the gym for 3 miles on the mill and Day 2 of Total Body. After a quick shower, it was off to see my massage therapist to get some relief for a cranky piriformis.

Saturday – With the remnants of the Nor’easter still in full effect, I decided to push my run to Sunday and avoid the harsh wind. So it was a rest day with 20 burpees and planking thrown in.

Sunday – The goal was 7 miles, and within the first half mile, I knew that this was going to be tough.

Full disclosure – the cranky piriformis first reared its head on the back half of last Saturday’s 6 miler. And, while it was definitely aggravated by so much drive time on Tuesday, I was really encouraged by how I felt after my next two runs.

When I went to see my MT on Friday she had warned me that it was clear to her that I had tweaked something and that runs longer than the 3s I’d been running might irritate it – cue the foreboding music. Well, she’s usually right on the money and she was right about this run. I held it together for the first 3 miles, but then the wheels came off. I hated to cut the run short, but attempting to run with my right leg screaming at me didn’t seem to make much sense so I headed for home and settled for 5.

I’m having a hard time shaking off today’s run. For one thing, I’ve dealt with piriformis issues before and know what a bitch it can be; and two, it’s left me feeling like next Saturday’s Black Cat race/training run is out of reach. My biggest goal this year is to steer clear of injury so I can go after some big goal races. I’ve got to update the RunnersConnect coaches on today’s run – I’ll be curious to see what they have to say.

Is it worth it to push for double digits next week just because I committed the $35 to run?

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

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Filed Under: training, Weekly Wrap

Black Cat Week 7 – Trying to be patient

February 18, 2018 by 22 Comments

So I should be wrapping up week 7 of training for the Black Cat 10-miler, but the reality is very little training has been going on. I went down with the flu two weeks ago, and while I thought I was over the worse of it last weekend, I’m learning recovery is not a straight line!

I spent this past week trying to regain my bearings – some moments feeling good, only to have someone pull the energy rug out from under me quickly. Mostly I’ve been dog-tired. I spent the week trying to let go of my disappointment at watching my training progress go south and focusing instead on what I could do and giving my body all the rest it was craving. So as a result, the week shook out like this:

Monday: Rest; plank streak day 43

Tuesday: Got back to the Superman, Squats & Twists Challenge with 60 squats plus planks

Wednesday: A hectic day of presentations for work really set me back. I had planned to get some cardio done, but by the time I got home I was toast. So I got my plank done and enjoyed a quiet V-Day dinner at home with J.

Thursday: Woke up feeling horrible and discouraged that I was sliding back and not getting better. It was a tough day mentally, but I gave in and let myself sleep a lot. (A plank did happen)

Friday: Finally woke up feeling good. I got some errands done, met a friend for lunch, and then met another friend for a 3-mile walk in time to catch this beautiful sunset. I finished the day with 70 squats and some planking.

Saturday: Yeah ok so maybe I got overly ambitious on Friday. I woke up Saturday feeling drained so I kept it simple with a little yoga, planks, and 70 twists.

Sunday: Finally some running! 4 hard-fought miles thanks to 5:1 run/walk intervals.

Just a little less than 3 weeks until Black Cat and it looks like I’m going to have to re-think my goals for this race. It’s a good thing I’ve got the Portland 10 Miler a few weeks later!

So tell me something about your week!

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

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Filed Under: Black Cat 10 Miler, Recovery, training, Weekly Wrap

Emerging from Flu Fog

February 11, 2018 by 22 Comments

There’s no way to sugar coat it – this past week was one long and u-g-l-y week! I developed an annoying hacking cough late Sunday and by Monday morning I was a wreck. By Tuesday it was clear I had some serious virus or strain of the flu happening. Ugh, really?! Ain’t nobody got time for that…especially when you throw in that I was doing the single parent thing for half the week. Yes a tough week, but I am slowly emerging from my flu fog.

Because I’m stubborn, I did manage to hang onto my plank streak this week, and by Friday I was back to Rachel’s Supermans, Squats, and Twists Challenge with 50 squats. Saturday offered up 50+ degree weather and I got out for a brisk walk with my husband J and followed up with 50 twists. I finally got back to some cardio today with a mix of miles on the bike and the mill – just a few miles had me winded and ready for a nap, but it was progress.

I’m trying not to get too stressed out about losing a week of training for Black Cat. Today’s brief run showed me that I’m going to have to take this week slow as I continue to work my way out of flu recovery mode. I still have 3 long runs before the race so hopefully, I can squeeze in a couple of 8 milers and one double-digit run. Fingers-crossed!

So tell me something about your week!

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

 

 

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Filed Under: Flu recovery mode, Weekly Wrap