Thursday Thoughts – Volunteering at Boston 2016

April 21, 2016 by 16 Comments

Volunteer jacket

Let me just say that volunteering at the Boston Marathon once again did not disappoint!

On Monday, I was lucky enough to be one of the 11,000 volunteers working the Marathon. This was my third year volunteering, and after not getting an assignment last year, I was psyched to be assigned to the finish area (previous assignments were in the Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton).

Water station My team manned the huge water station after the finish line. We got to cheer the wheelchair finishers and the elites before it was time to man our stations to greet the masses! I had illusions of being able to take lots of pictures, but the reality was once those runners started coming through it was a crazy flurry of activity.

The energy was amazing! I was blown away by how good some people looked as they came in, while others seriously worried me that I was going to have to put my CPR training to use – no joke. My team hooted and hollered and congratulated as many runners as possible. I joined some finishers in primal screams of celebration and received hugs from perfect strangers.  And, I really appreciated the number of people who thanked us for volunteering. While I missed some friends  in the chaos, I was lucky enough to catch up with Michele from NYC Running Mama and Sarah, aka SBS from Another Mother Runner!

My teammates were a fun bunch – some runners, but interestingly some were not – they all just loved this event and wanted to be apart of it. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say it was a great day, and I can’t wait to volunteer again next year!

Source: Boston.com

Source: Boston.com

Have you ever been a race volunteer?

Joining Amanda for Thinking Out Loud Thursdays Thinking-Out-Loud2

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Filed Under: Boston Marathon, Thursday Thoughts, volunteering

Weekly Wrap – RtR Week 6

April 17, 2016 by 16 Comments

RtR Update

I swear I blinked and the week was over! Overall I was pretty pleased with how this week went.

Monday 4/11:  Rest Day.
Tuesday 4/12:  Strength work and PT exercises.
Wednesday 4/13:  3 mile run.
Thursday 4/14:  An hour session with Trainer Stacey.
Friday 4/15:  Legs were very sore from Thursday’s workout so just did some core work and PT exercises.
Saturday 4/16:  I had planned to run 6, but I woke up with a very irritable stomach which did not settle as I started running, so I settled for 4.
Sunday 4/17:  3.5 mile run.

While I would have liked a little more mileage, Trainer Stacey continues to remind me that progress may be a little slower as I work on correcting my imbalances….but it’s still progress. I’m really enjoying training with Stacey – it’s super challenging and I love how positive she is!

progress adds up

The goal each week is to make it better than the last! I’ll also be drawing some additional motivation this week from my volunteer gig at the marathon tomorrow – hard to not be motivated, right? Wishing everyone running Boston the best of luck!

rp_WeeklyWrap-1-300x300.jpgI’m joining Holly and Tricia for their #WeeklyWrap. There are so many fun bloggers linking up, be sure to stop by!

What are you looking forward to this week?

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Filed Under: training, Weekly Wrap

Five Benefits of Morning Running

April 15, 2016 by 23 Comments

Happy Friday!

If you’ve been hanging out around here then you know that one of my goals this month is to get back to early morning runs. I’m happy to say that so far I’m crushing this goal, and while I admit some mornings are harder than others, I’m loving these runs. Today’s Friday Five theme is “favorites” so I thought I’d share some benefits of why it’s worth it to get up and out early.

Workout of early

No schedule conflicts — This one is huge for me! I love being able to “check the box” off my to do list and not stress about how I’m going to fit in a run later in the day.

More time in your day — Taking care of my workout early also leaves me feeling much more in control of my day, and with more time to get things done.

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Better breathing — Getting out and done before too many commuters hit the road means breathing in less car exhaust.

Metabolism jump start — With an early morning workout you kick your metabolism into high gear, burning more calories at a faster rate throughout the day.

Better sleep — Inevitably getting up earlier means going to bed earlier. As a result, I’m finding that I’ve been sleeping better and overall feel more rested.

**Bonus** — A chance to catch a beautiful sunrise!

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When’s your favorite time to run?

Linking up with Courtney, Mar and Cynthia – stop by and see what favorites everyoe’s sharing this week! DC-Trifecta-Friday-Five-linkup

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Filed Under: early morning runs, Friday Five

RtR Week 5 Wrap-up

April 10, 2016 by 30 Comments

RtR Update

 

Another week of Run to Remember training is in the books – boys these weeks are just flying by! I’m joining Holly and Tricia for their #WeeklyWrap – once you finish here, be sure to stop by and check in on how this week has treated everyone.

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Monday 4/4:  Rest Day.
Tuesday 4/5:  Back to work with Trainer Stacy – 1 hour of torture…er.. strength work.
Wednesday 4/6:  Afternoon run of 3 miles.
Thursday 4/7:  A 5K with the sunrise….and then a 90 minute sports massage later in the day – just perfect!

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Friday 4/8:  T25 Beta – Core Cardio.
Saturday 4/9:  Another early morning run for 4.25 miles.
Sunday 4/10:  Mostly a rest day with some core work and 4 hrs of standing at both of the boys’ lacrosse games.

My runs this week were ok. The frigid temps returned (again!), but I made the transition back to early morning runs (one of my goals for this month) – a good thing for sure.

I was very excited to get back to work with Trainer Stacey! While I have been fairly diligent over the last couple of months to keep some strength training in the mix, this session was both eye-opening and hard! After talking about my running and goals for this year, she put me through a full assessment. And let’s just say I have some work to do! But, it’s all good and I’m looking forward to our next session this week. I’ll also be looking to bump up my mileage – fingers crossed my legs cooperate 🙂

So now your turn – how was your week?

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Filed Under: Strength training, training, Weekly Wrap

Running Uneasy

April 5, 2016 by 20 Comments

So for this week’s Tuesdays on the Run, Erika, Marcia & Patty are asking everyone to share one word that describes your running lately. I’ll be very interested to see what words are chosen….

My word?  Uneasy.

According to Dictionary.com,

  1. not easy in body or mind; uncomfortable; restless; disturbed; perturbed.
  2. not easy in manner; constrained; awkward.
  3. not conducive to ease; causing bodily discomfort.

Yep…”not easy in body or mind…uncomfortable…not conducive to ease…” that pretty much sums up my running right now.

View from the top

Most of my runs lately have been a struggle … I’m feeling restless that I’m not making as much progress as I’d like. But Saturday’s run…in wind-swept rain, no less, gave me a much needed boost. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a trend.

What one word would you use to describe your running? #TOTR #runchat Share on X

What one word would you pick?

Be sure to head over to the link-up and see what others had to say.

Tuesdays revised

 

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Filed Under: one word, tough runs, Tuesdays on the Run

April’s Ultimate Coffee Date

April 2, 2016 by 16 Comments

The Ultimate Coffee Date

It’s the first Saturday of the month, and you know what that means…it’s time for the Ultimate Coffee Date. Thanks to Coco, Lynda and Deborah, as always, for hosting! Be sure to check out the link-up and see what the other ladies are dishing about.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m joining for coffee a little later than usual this morning because I just couldn’t get my face out of my pillow for my run. It was not a great night of sleep and I kept hitting the snooze. Unfortunately, by the time I got going the rain was seriously threatening, and by the first half mile, the skies opened up. Soaked, but run’s done 🙂

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m doing a little happy dance this morning because hockey season is finally ending today! (cue the choir) The final game of the tournament is at 1:30 and then I’m free from the ice rink until August!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that despite calendar madness, I mentioned last month, that I have stuck to my goal of catching up with a friend every week this past month for lunch/dinner/something. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m hoping for a repeat in April.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m going for CPR training tomorrow. I need a refresher before volunteering at the Boston Marathon – I still can’t believe I’ll be at the finish line!

So what would you tell me over coffee?  

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Filed Under: Ultimate coffee date

Friday Five – April Goals

April 1, 2016 by 14 Comments

Happy Friday!

As last week’s runfessions revealed I’ve been feeling a little whiny about my running. So in an effort to focus on the positive, I’m skipping my monthly rewind, in favor of looking ahead to goals for this month!

April Goals

 

  1. Run all the miles — Don’t leave any run shorter than planned.
  2. Lose the negative thoughts — Going to replace that negative voice that’s been all too present on the road with me lately. I will focus on the mile I’m in.
  3. Return to morning runs — I’m best when I start my day working out – then when the schedule runs amok, at least I’ll know I’ve already taken care of myself.
  4. Step-up the strength work — Going back to work with Trainer Stacy and I can’t wait!
  5. Lose 3 pounds — One of my 2016 goals is to lose 12 pounds, and while I’ve been making a little progress here, I know I lost my focus a bit last month – I’m recommitting.

What are your goals for April?

I’m linking up with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for the #FridayFive link-up – This week’s theme is “fitness.” DC-Trifecta-Friday-Five-linkup

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Filed Under: Friday Five, goals

RtR Week 3 recap

March 28, 2016 by 18 Comments

RtR Update

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? For those who celebrate, a belated Happy Easter!

Week 3 of Run to Remember training is in the books and I’m joining Holly and Tricia for their #WeeklyWrap. Be sure to stop by and check in on how last week treated everyone.

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Monday 3/21:  Strength workout – legs and abs.
Tuesday 3/22:  44 minutes on the Arc Trainer.
Wednesday 3/23:  3 hilly miles on some very tired legs.
Thursday 3/24:  Rest Day!

Family run
Friday 3/25:  Family run – while I didn’t run as far as I’d planned, nothing beats the whole family running together!
Saturday 3/26:  The plague hit…seriously I felt horrible – there was no running, just couch time and movies with the kids.
Sunday 3/27:  Still not feeling fabulous by a long shot, but that little voice in my head kept nagging me that I was going to be more unhappy if I skipped it vs going – 3.5 miles done.

Thankfully after a very quite weekend, I’m feeling more or less plague-free today. As I run-fessed I’ve been feeling a little uninspired by my runs, but I’m focusing on an attitude adjustment for this week!

How was your week?

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Filed Under: training, Weekly Wrap

March Runfessions

March 25, 2016 by 8 Comments

It’s the last Friday of the month…so you know what that means….time to cleanse my sweaty soul with some Runfessions. Link up with Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice and join us, won’t you?!

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Runfession #1 — I’ve lost my running mojo! Despite looking forward to running a half marathon again, I’m not feeling in any kind of groove – in fact most days….I runfess that I just don’t feel like running.

LOST_MOJO

Runfession #2 — I’ve been letting my schedule totally rule me instead of the other way around. I haven’t been good about carving out dedicated time for my runs and workouts – instead just trying to jam them in when I can. The end results is I’m feeling kind of stressed to just check off the “workout box” instead of looking forward to that time. Might be contributing to Runfession#1 – don’t ya think?

Runfession #3 — I’ve been thinking that it might be beneficial to work with a run coach who can help me improve my gait and mechanics. I was really enjoying the work I had started while I was doing PT – they had a good team…might be time to reconnect. I’m just feeling like I need someone to observe and correct…or at least make suggestions 🙂

Kinvara 7

Photo Courtesy of Running Warehouse

Runfession #4 — I am lusting after the new Kinvara 7, but am really having a hard time justifying spending the cash – I have 2 pairs of Mizunos and a pair of ISO Zealots all in great condition with low mileage. Yet still I covet…

It's time for #Runfessions! Link up with @teamarcia and share Share on X

OK so now it’s your turn….what do you run-fess?

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Filed Under: Runfessions, Schedule vs Training

Thursday Thoughts – Odds and Ends

March 24, 2016 by 8 Comments

Is it me or is this week moving at a glacial pace? How is it not Friday already?!

Computer problems have been the bane of my existence this week – there have been many moments where throwing my laptop out the window seemed like a reasonable option.

Computer probs

Just as I was diving into a little spring fever last week, Mother Nature decided to pull a fast one and smacked us with snow on Monday…but then it was all melted by the late afternoon. Yesterday was in the 60s, but this morning they’re talking about the return of an icy rain mix and the temps are dropping again. I’d like to have a long talk with that groundhog!

groundhog day

I received a nice email earlier this week from Healthy Moms Magazine informing me that Running with Attitude had been selected as one of their top 100 blogs. A big thanks to them! You can check out the full list here.

Top 100 Running Blog - Healthy Moms Magazine
Linking up again with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud Thursdays.
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Tell me something about your week!
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Filed Under: Thursday Thoughts