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Showing posts from November, 2008

Shredding

One of the goals I keep making for myself is to do regular strength training. I start, but then marathon training takes over and I always end up quitting. In order to recover from my current injuries and prevent new ones I need to focus on improving strength and my core. I am a huge fan of Biggest Loser and would love to have Jillian as my trainer, well I guess the Shred dvd is the closest I'll get. Many of the runners/ triathletes I know started this workout a few months ago and love it. I decided to give it a shot. I started 2 weeks ago and can already see a big difference even though I have only been doing it 3 or 4 days a week. The Shred workout is 20 minutes and consists of 3 circuits of: 3 minutes pure strength, 2 minutes cardio/strength, and 1 minute abs/core. The length is perfect to fit in just about any time, I have even gotten up early to get it done in the morning before work. 2 more weeks to go to finish 30 days of Shred, maybe I'll even keep going after that.

1 year ago

Last year on Thanksgiving Matt and I ran the 5K Turkey Trot in downtown. I remember it being a cold morning, but super crowded. After the run, while at home in front of the fire to warm up Matt announced that he would run a marathon. We spent the morning looking at Spring marathons and he picked Grandma's. We are now in the process of deciding on next year's Spring marathon, his 3rd and my 13th. It is looking like we'll run the new Stillwater Marathon in May. I am thankful that Matt has discovered running, last weekend we were even able to run together since he is getting faster. 8.5 miles on Saturday at a decent pace and 4 miles on Sunday with Morgan, who was excited to be running with both of us for the first time.

TNT Fall Season 2008

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Nothing to do

For the past 2 1/2 weeks I have had nothing to train for or upcoming races. This is the first time in about 3 years that I haven't had a marathon on my schedule before finishing the previous one. Between coaching and my own, I have completed 12 marathons and can't wait for the next! The problem has been my stupid ankle which I haven't given adequate time to heal, I came to an agreement with my sports doc that I would cut down my training after Dublin to allow it to fully heal. In the mean time, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. The colder weather really isn't helping my motivation since I hate biking on the trainer and suck at swimming, both of which I should really be doing. We had originally planned to travel and run a winter marathon, but I have made the promise to myself and Matt (who gets stuck listening to my whining when I can't run) that I will wait until fall for my next to allow myself plenty of healing time. For now I am focusing on healing,

What a difference

What a difference 1 week can make. Last Monday, It was in the 70s and sunny. I went running in shorts and a tank top, pretty unusual for November in MN. Matt and I had a great night run in the park with headlamps without freezing. Now it is 30 degrees and I have pulled out all my winter running clothes. Yesterday's run was cold, with a temp of 27, so cold in fact that I am realizing I need new mittens. My hands were freezing in the pair I have.

Dublin Marathon Day

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Unlike all other marathons I have done, this one started at 9am meaning I actually got to sleep until a decent time. The weather was a little chilly at the start, but everyone was ready and excited. Matt decided to run the Family Fun Run 5K while I was out on the marathon course and even got a medal for finishing. The Minnesota TNT Team The scenary was beautiful and like I always say, marathons are a great way to see a new city. I was a little nervous about getting around the city, but met up with 2 other TNT coaches and we found our way around. Anyone who has been to Dublin knows that streets and badly marked and change names often. And when you ask distances they will tell you in time. All 27 runners finished with plenty of time to spare and we even had a few PRs on a tough course. The jet lag and Guinness drinking didn't help to make it an easy day for some. Some views from the course The course went past our hotel and the pub across the street at about mile 25. This turned in t

Dublin

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After about 12 hours of travelling and being awake all night, we finally arrived in Dublin on Friday afternoon. The only goal was to find food and then get some sleep! On Saturday, we did the Guinness Tour and got caught in the pouring rain. Matt and I at the Guinness waterfall Sunday was the International Breakfast Run, a 2 mile run followed by breakfast and t-shirt exchange. It was beautiful weather and a great place to run. The Finland and Canada shirts ended up being really popular with the team. I am now the proud owner of a Finland running shirt that I cannot read. Great view from the Breakfast Run course The rest of the day included some sightseeing and the pasta party. This was a much different experience then the one at Nike. In Dublin there were only 156 TNT runners as compared to 5,000 in San Francisco. This proved to be a much more laid back dinner and quieter atmosphere. The Minnesota Team dominated with our 27 runners, high fundraisers and Triple Crown winners.