Enjoyed a great weekend…
… lots of time with family & friends
… a return to double digit long runs
… way too much good food & drink
… another year older
…. and spending time here
How can you not be happy looking at this?
I’m ready to take on the week!
How was your weekend?
While there was a lot of family fun in July – my running was a bit of a mixed bag. But, it’s a new month and I’m ready to kick things up a bit!
Kat over at Sneakers and Fingerpaints is hosting the August Core Focus Challenge! I’ve done a couple of ab/core challenges before and this one looked like fun and a perfect way to help get me on track for my fall races, so I’m in!
Another great way to kick things up? A race of course 🙂 Given that we’re in the dog days of summer there isn’t much to pick from on the racing front around here until September – so why not go virtual? Jill & Jen, the great ladies behind the #13in2013 Challenge are hosting a Birthday Bash Virtual Race in honor of their birthday month! You pick the distance and the day and for added incentive there are some fun prizes involved. August is my birthday month too and this is just the extra motivation to help me through one of my race pace runs.
I’m also thinking it’s time to mix things up with my cross-training so I’m returning to Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30. I tried this DVD out last summer and it definitely helped to keep things interesting. Just like last time, because of my schedule and making sure I get all my runs in, I will probably not do this workout for 30 days straight – but nonetheless Jillian is sure to keep me on my toes!
What have you got planned for August?
This morning was a mental run – you know the kind where you can’t get out of your own head….where the suck monkey is in full voice, strong and clear…where you are bargaining with yourself almost from the first step (just run to the mailbox, telephone pole, next song, etc.)
Yeah – it was that kind of run this morning.
In truth, more than a few of my runs have been like this lately. The runs have had very little to do with my physical side – the legs have been more than willing to go. Just can’t seem to get out of my own way at the moment. I know the heat and humidity of the past two weeks has certainly not helped…but it’s not all about the weather.
I am really looking forward to my fall race schedule but it is becoming increasingly clear to me to have the outcomes I want in the fall, I’ve got to spend more time training the one muscle I need above all else – my brain.
How do you mentally get yourself on the right track?
In my quest to get to the bottom of my GI issues, I have been keeping a food journal – I admit not as faithfully as I probably need to, but I am starting to see some patterns worth noting.
A big thing that’s jumped off the page for me is the trouble dairy seems to be causing. “OK – not a problem” I thought I will simply eliminate all things dairy….except there’s one little indulgence I’m still struggling with….
Pistachio – my favorite!
Source: TastyKitchen.com
Ice cream! Sweet, creamy, cool refreshing ice cream. Ice cream is one of my all time favorite summer indulgences. I’ve often joked that I run so I can eat ice cream. Well in true frenemy-style, this favorite treat of mine is wreaking havoc with my running! So while I’m not yet willing to cut all ties with ice cream, we will definitely be seeing a lot less of each other this summer.
Do you have a food frenemy?
Sunday morning I ran my best 5K yet!
And there was no PR or great bling involved. The race itself was full of logistically glitches typical of a new race (mis-measured course, not enough porta potties…you get the idea).
It was the best 5K because I got to run with my son as he completed his first 5K!
I watched him push himself to go further than he’d ever run before (and in very warm conditions!), watched him experience both the “I can’t believe I’m about to do this!” moments, along with the “what if I can’t finish” moments.
We had a great conversation along the way – none of which I’ll share here…stays between Mom and son. Except that I will say about half way through he started talking about his next race – “it should be in the fall when it’s cooler and I’ll be better trained” – at that moment I knew that despite the heat and walk breaks, he was really enjoying himself!
I especially loved seeing the look on his face when he knew the finish line was close and watching him sprint to the end! It was a proud mama moment for me from beginning to end – and I can’t wait to do it again 🙂
It’s been a busy week so far around here – we’ve started a couple of new house projects, the boys both started camp this week (and are loving it) – which is perfect timing too as I started working with a new client developing their social media campaigns – should be a fun gig!
I also started my fall training this week and while I was psyched to get started the timing couldn’t have been worse. We’re in the middle of our 3rd heat wave of the summer here in the Northeast and with heat indexes approaching 100, I can’t seem to get up early enough to escape having my runs feel more like a swim. On the good side, the end is in sight and we should have some relief from the humidity by Sunday – just in time to run with my son in his first 5K!
I received my confirm for the B.A.A. Half Marathon yesterday morning!
Registration opened yesterday at 10 and the B.A.A. announce they’d sold out in 12 minutes – what!?! Since this is the third race in the B.A.A. Distance Medley, I didn’t have to worry about trying to register, but I was thrilled to get a text from my running buddy E telling me that she got in! It will be her first half marathon – Can not wait to run this with her!
How ‘s your week going?
The fall race schedule is shaping up to be a busy one – let the training begin! #AllforFall
What will you start today?
This Friday’s randomness is brought to you courtesy of Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, who tagged me a couple of days ago with a get to know you ABC game. So grab your coffee cup and here we go….
A. Attached or Single? Married for almost 21 years!
B. Best friend? I’m very lucky to have some wonderful friends in my life – not naming just one!
C. Cake or pie? Flourless chocolate cake
D. Day of choice? Sundays – it’s the one day of the week where I may get to sleep in, we usually have a big family breakfast followed by a lazy, family hang-out day (except during Lacrosse season or if I’m racing)
E. Essential Item? I am ridiculously dependent on my smartphone!
F. Favorite color? It seems to change – right now I love deep purples – though you’d never know it by looking at my wardrobe
G. Gummy bears or worms? Truthfully, neither.
H. Home town? Boston! 
I. Favorite Indulgence? A good glass of red wine.
J. January or July? January – I love having a whole fresh year laid out in front of me!
K. Kids? Two great boys and one lovable German Shepherd
L. Life isn’t complete without? Family and friends
M. Marriage date? October 11th
N. Number of brothers/sisters? 1 wonderful brother
O. Oranges or Apples? Apples!
P. Phobias? Spiders…well all bugs, but especially spiders – skeeve me out!
Q. Quotes? There are several quotes I like, but one favorite is:
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
R. Reasons to smile? Without a doubt my boys!
S. Season of choice? Fall – it’s always been my favorite time of the year! Cool, but not cold, weather – perfect for running and football! And the foliage in N.E. is beautiful!
T. Tag 5 People I’m going to pass on tagging anyone – but if you want to play along, please leave me a link so I can read your post.
U. Unknown fact about me? As part of my major in college, I use to be fluent in Japanese – sadly I’m not anymore.
V. Vegetable? Grilled asparagus
W. Worst habit? I’m very Type A which makes me a bit of a perfectionist.
X. Xray or Ultrasound? Odd question, but I guess ultrasounds because it meant I was seeing my baby!
Y. Your favorite food? Sushi
Z. Zodiac sign? Leo
Have a great weekend!
We have comfortably shifted into summer mode here in the RWA household – the pace has slowed, there’s far less clock watching and on some days this usually high-energy family has become downright lazy! And I say thank goodness 🙂
While getting out early in the morning before the heat really cranks up doesn’t allow for much sleeping in, I have passed on a couple of runs in favor of catching more ZZZs – I figure my both my mind and body will thank me later. When I do run, there’s been almost no attention paid to my Garmin – it’s just been about getting some miles in and trying to acclimate. I’m most definitely not breaking any land speed records and I’m good with that. I know that soon enough I’ll be focused in on hitting paces and more structured workouts as I start training for my fall races. I am starting to kick my strength training up as I’ve started another 30 ab/core challenge and I’m heading back to my beloved Pilates classes later this week.
How’s your summer going? Have you started training for your fall race yet?
On Wednesday, the whole family once again ventured out to Gillette Stadium to take part in the Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50. This was our second year doing this event – my oldest participated in the kids’ races and I ran the 10K. J and my youngest son played chief cheerleaders – which quiet honestly may have been the smarter choice!
OK so how to write this recap without it being a complete whine-fest about the heat?! Let me start by saying it was 88 degrees with a dewpoint of 70 – translation the heat and humidity combination was downright oppressive! Combined with the late day start time (6:30 p.m.), this morning runner was way out of my comfort zone!
The Good Stuff
getting a “Congrats!” from Pat the Patriot
The Ugly Stuff
Running those ramps — surprisingly, going up the ramps wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was running down them that proved a lot more challenging, especially when you threw in the hairpin turns at each level. By this point my quads were just screaming to be done!
Post race was like one big tailgate party as runners and their families hang out and wait for the fireworks. We enjoyed a great picnic dinner and the fireworks display did not disappoint!
Overall this is a really well-run family event and a fun way to kick-off our 4th of July celebration! I did say to J shortly after finishing that I just don’t see myself running this again next year – at least not the 10K. J said he may try it and I think I’ll be happy to swap roles as chief cheerleader 🙂
Do you run a 4th of July race?
