Weekly Wrap — Page 8

Weekly Wrap – Marathon Fun and RtR Week 7

April 23, 2017 by Michelle 39 Comments

Happy Sunday!

What a crazy week this was! Things were hectic at work and my youngest son had spring break – throw in week 2 with the new puppy and suffice it to say it was a constant juggle.

There was also volunteering at the Boston Marathon – definitely the week’s high point!

Monday was my 4th year volunteering at Boston and all I can say is it never gets old! There really are no words to do justice to the energy of the finish area of any marathon, much less Boston! My first two years I was working in Hopkinton at the Athlete’s Village and then I scored an assignment in finish area last year. I was happy to be invited back to join the water team again this year.

Our team set up thousands of cases of water, making sure to unscrew the top of every bottle so runners don’t have to struggle after finishing 26.2. With the water ready and covered we got the chance to cheer the wheelchair finishers and some of the elites before taking a spot at the table to start greeting runners. While a gorgeous day to spectate, it was a little too hot to be running. We could see the toll the weather was having — unfortunately there were many who needed medical help and the waves of runners coming in later in the day were notably more than the previous year.

But on the whole most runners were in good spirits. I cheered and congratulated runners until my voice was almost gone. Some stopped to share their stories – whether it was their first or, in one case, her 25th! There were some hugging, consoling those in tears, and more high-fives and primal screams than I can count! It was also awesome how many runners stopped to thank us for volunteering. I tried my best to keep an eye out for friends who I knew were running, and was psyched to see Dani, from Weight Off My Shoulders – one of the best hug of the day 🙂

I was sore and tired by the time I headed to my car and loved every minute of it! While I do miss seeing the runners out on the course, being in the finish area is a special experience!

This week marked week 7 of Run to Remember training so let me quickly recap this week’s workouts:

Monday: 6 hrs on my feet

Tuesday: 3-mile easy run

Wednesday: Yoga

Thursday: 800-meter repeats

Friday: Lower body strength work

Saturday: 4-mile run

Sunday: Rest

As always, I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for the #WeeklyWrap. Please be sure to head on over and check out all of the great ladies participating in this fun link-up!

Filed Under: Boston Marathon, Boston's Run to Remember, training, volunteering, Weekly Wrap

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!

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

Wrapping up Week 5 – BTDT

April 9, 2017 by Michelle 39 Comments

I’m feeling a bit like a broken record here! Training continues to be a mixed bag as my hip giveth and my hip taketh away. I have been babying this hip/glute thing for a few weeks now and on average I’m lucky if I hit 5 miles on any given run (though I managed 6 on Friday). And, these miles have been, for the most part, s-l-o-w!

I have been trying to be positive and keep telling myself I still have time…but now with Run to Remember just 7 weeks from today, I’m starting to wonder. I was so frustrated after this morning’s run that I wondered aloud to my husband whether I just need to stop running…or at least stop training. Yes..perhaps a bit dramatic… I know that I love running too much to just stop…but right now, it’s hard to love something that is not loving me back. I’ve already been down this road once before this year…where my head and heart are focused on training, but my body just won’t get with the program.

So with just 14 miles, plus yoga and some strength work week 5 is a wrap, and I’m honestly not sure where to go from here. Option 1 is to continue to push along and hope for a turnaround; option 2 is to let go of the half marathon and drop to the 5-miler; and, option 3 is… stop training for any race until my body cooperates.

I’m curious…what would you do?

As always, I’m 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!

Filed Under: Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, injuries, running dilemnas, Uncategorized, Weekly Wrap

RtR Training – What happened to Week 4?!

April 3, 2017 by Michelle 21 Comments

Good grief last week was a complete blur! Add to the chaos, two kids with the stomach bug and feeling under the weather myself and you have the perfect storm to throw my training into a tailspin! Here are the “highlights.”

Monday — Scheduled rest day – so needed!

Tuesday — 5 mile tempo run

Wednesday — Strength work

Thursday — Both of my kiddos went down, and I was feeling less than stellar. My poor husband was last man standing and took care of all of us.

Friday — The kids, of course, bounced right back and returned to school, while I, on the other hand, felt like I’d been hit by a truck. So instead of making up the miles, it was 45 minutes of yoga.

Saturday — Sleet/snow/rain combo! Clearly, Mother N has issues! I opted to sleep in and push the run to Sunday. I did get a short strength workout in before heading off to see my son and his team win their hockey championship!

Sunday — The weather schizophrenia continued with bright blue skies and temps in the 50s. I was glad I delayed my run and giddy to be back in running skirt! I had hoped to get 8 miles in, but my right hip continues to be a little wonky (yes a technical term) so I settled for a hard fought 5.

So I’ll be nursing the wonky hip for a couple of days and plan to try another run on Wednesday. Luckily I’ve got a massage scheduled for Thursday!

As always, I’m 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!

Filed Under: #REALwomenmove, half marathon training, Weekly Wrap

RtR Training Week 3

March 26, 2017 by Michelle 38 Comments

Well as I predicted, this was a week of managing colliding schedules and I knew I was going to have to be flexible in figuring out how to fit my workouts in. It was a bit of a mixed bag, but my plan is to log a weekly training recap to help keep myself accountable. So mixed bag and all, here’s how thing shook out.

Monday — Strength day: hips & abs

Tuesday — Hill repeats. They felt awful while I was doing them, but I was happy to check the Garmin and see I’d hit the target pace range.

Yes, I literally took a seat on the side of the road when these were done!

Wednesday — I was on the road for work for part of the day and then the family to do list was long, so I shuffled my schedule and took a rest day.

Thursday — Strength workout followed by a much-needed sports massage to keep my cranky hip in line!

Friday — My plan called for a 5 mile run with 3 miles at tempo pace. Honestly, this was more like a 5-mile fartlek as my pacing was wildly inconsistent. Not a pretty run…but they all can’t be, right?

Saturday — At the urging of my massage therapist, I got in a short yoga session. Need to figure out how to add more yoga to my weekly plan.

Sunday — 6 mile “long” run.

a rainy, gray run

I’m 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!

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

Weekly Wrap: Catching Up

March 19, 2017 by Michelle 25 Comments

Happy Sunday!

I feel like it’s been a while since I joined in on the Weekly Wrap link-up! Thanks as always to Holly & Tricia for hosting the link-up.

So let’s get caught up, shall we? This time last week I was just kicking off 4 whirlwind days in NYC with the family. And I do mean whirlwind! We got in a lot of sightseeing and eating 😉 We even scored half price tickets to the Broadway show, School of Rock, which I highly recommend especially if you have kids – my boys loved it!

It was great family time and a much-needed break for all! The only downside of time away is the chaos that awaits when you return! Thankfully the weekend was close at hand, making re-entry a little easier.

And, since Run to Remember training is officially underway, I did what I could to get some miles in this week as well.

Monday — Cross-training in the form of walking 5+ miles around NYC.

Tuesday — Storm Stella got in the way of my plan to get a run through the city so I headed to the hotel gym, with my mini coach in tow 😉 3 miles done.

Wednesday — More cross-training across the city.

Thursday — The plan called for 1.5-mile intervals, but honestly, my legs were toast and I knew there was just no way speed work of any kind was happening. I opted for 4 easy miles.

Friday — Rest!

Saturday — A trip to the chiro and a 5-mile run.

Sunday — My son’s hockey playoffs dominated the day, but I did make time for the exercises my chiro wants me to do to help keep my hip happy.

This week, work/family schedules will be pretty chaotic, but it’s time to step up the miles for RtR so I’m going to have to get creative to fit it all in!

How was your week?

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

Getting back to running

March 5, 2017 by Michelle 18 Comments

I’m thrilled to say that I’ve got 3 days of running in this week!

Monday: Another chiro appointment where I runfessed that I cheated and ran last Saturday. He laughed and wasn’t surprised…yeah we’re going to get along just fine 🙂 After our session, I get the official green light to start running!

Tuesday: 3 easy miles

Wednesday: Strength day — all core and lower body work. And, of course, some planking.

Thursday: The wind gusts reached 45 mph and tree limbs were falling everywhere…hmmm no thanks! Opted for yoga instead.

Friday: Made up for Thursday’s run – another 3 miler

Saturday: 15 degrees plus a brutal wind made these 4 miles feel much longer, but my husband was a good sport and came along to keep me company. It was so cold my phone shut down when I tried to get a post-run pic! Have you ever had that happen?!

I was pretty psyched to have these hand warmers which had come in my February Stride Box. You can reseal them so they’re re-usable for up to 6 hours, which I’ll probably be putting to the test this week since temps aren’t supposed to rise for the next couple of days.

Sunday: Rest day

Ten pain-free miles just makes me smile! The goal this week is simple…to run more!

I’m 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!

Filed Under: Weekly Wrap

Hitting the Training Reset Button

February 19, 2017 by Michelle 52 Comments

It’s time to hit the reset button…

My little slip during a run last month did more than just tweak things. And, while I’ve been able to eek out some runs, it’s been inconsistent at best…and with some significant pain at worst. No bueno. I’ve probably known for a couple of weeks now that I need to re-think my plans, but I didn’t want to admit it. I’d been hoping to hold it together and some how stick to my race schedule, but it’s just not happening.

So after a trip to the new chiropractor (who was awesome!) and conferring with the RC coaches, it’s time to hit the reset button on my training. I took a pass on the 10 mile race I was planning to do this morning and I’m deferring my entry in the NYC Half until next year. And while I’m especially bummed about putting off NYC, I’m refusing to have a pity party.

So I’m focusing on the positives:

Better to have this happen now while the year is still young and there’s still lots of time for running and races
I still have 14 weeks until my Spring goal race, Boston’s Run to Remember
I’m loving the new chiro I was referred to – he’s mapped out a course of treatment and believes he can get me back on track shortly
My RC coaches are all very positive that we can work around this and put together a decent training plan
Since the whole family was looking forward to heading to NYC, we’ve decided to still hit the city during the school spring break

I’m headed back to the chiro tomorrow, and this week will probably be heavy on the cross-training and strength work. 14 weeks to go!

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap.

Quick housekeeping note:

Congrats to Jessica & Stephanie for winning entries into the Utah Valley Marathon/Half Marathon/10K! (Check your email boxes for details. ) If you didn’t win but are still interested in running, you can use code rwa15 to get 15% off any distance! (This is an affiliate code.)

Filed Under: chiropractor, DNS, half marathon training, injuries, NYC Half Marathon, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Embracing the mill

February 12, 2017 by Michelle 22 Comments

Happy Sunday!

As I type this, the wind is picking up and the snow is falling. The second significant snow storm in just 4 days. School’s already been cancelled for tomorrow, and I’m trying to re-configure my work day.

But before I get to dealing with that I’m 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!

Between the snow, icy conditions and a hectic schedule, it was all about the gym and time on the mill this week. And, the 5 min/day planking streak continued!

Monday — Rest Day
Tuesday — Speed work- While I’m not a fan on running on the mill in general, I don’t mind doing speed work on it. Just set the pace and go!
Wednesday — Strength day followed by a much needed massage!

Thursday — Shoveling snow counts for cross-training right?
Friday — Back to the mill for 800 meter repeats
Saturday — Rest day
Sunday — 4 more mill miles as once again the left knee/calf wasn’t really not interested in doing a long run – which is problematic when you’ve got a half marathon just 5 weeks away….but let’s not think about that right now!

The left leg was pretty unhappy all week and required a lot of special attention. At the urging of my massage therapist (she’s convinced I’m out of alignment), I’m going to try to squeeze in an appointment with the chiropractor this week. I really don’t want to take any more time off from running, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Filed Under: left knee, treadmill run, Weekly Wrap

Two steps forward, One step back

February 5, 2017 by Michelle 35 Comments

It’s just been one of those weeks…

Monday – More time with my new BFF, aka the Arc Trainer, but I did get outside for a brisk walk for the Winter Challenge. Oh, and day 9 of the 10 x 10 plank challenge.

Tuesday – Work and family schedules collided and my run didn’t happen. It was the final day of the Winter Challenge and I enjoyed a snowy walk, plus finished the plank challenge. Whew…10 minutes of planking was a-l-o-t!

Wednesday – Strength training with Trainer Stacy. Quite simply, this workout kicked my arse…and I loved it! Stacy really challenged me and I left feeling really strong…and sore 🙂 Planking continues – going for 5 mins/day for February.

Thursday – Once again my schedule was crazy, but I was able to squeeze 30 mins in on the Arc Trainer.

Friday – Hill repeats – enough said, right?

Saturday – DOMS hit me hard so hello rest day.

Sunday – The plan called for 8 – I barely hung on for just over 5. After feeling so strong after Wednesday, and having a strong run through those repeats, I was hoping to crush this run…instead, my left knee/calf started talking to me within the first half mile and let me know this was going to be a grind. And a grind it was.

So…going to have to say this week was a Cha-cha. Let’s hope there’s less “dancing” this week and more running.

I’m linking up with Tricia and Holly for the #WeeklyWrap. Please be sure to head on over and check out all of the great ladies sharing weekly training, life happenings, motivation and encouragement!