Marathon Mom

I just found this great weekly goal setting link up from Melissa at Live, Love, & Run and I love the idea. Set at least 1 goal a week and then check back in on Monday, what a great way to hold yourself accountable and see what others are doing as well. Goal #1 Register to take NASM CPT exam. I keep pushing this off and had hoped to have this done a few weeks ago. Now is the time, once I schedule it I know I will have a deadline. Goal #2 Cook at least 1 new meal this week. Our CSA is providing us a lot of great vegetables that are beginning to pile up so time to make use of the squash. Along with this I will track my food to see where I am. Goal #3 Swim at least once, I was getting into this habit but have slacked off and need to add it back in. Goal #4 Drink 100+ ounces of water daily. This morning at Boot Camp we decided that for the month of August to set weekly goals for the group so this week it is to drink close to body weight in water. What are your week...

It was so nice to be home and have a weekend with nothing planned. This never happens especially in the Summer with all the races and fun activities happening. Being a stay at home mom this past month has given new meaning to weekends. After a busy week it was great to finally sleep in and have the extra set of hands at home! My little dancer 30 some years after my first dance show we have a new dancer in the family. She has been asking about dance for the past 6 months and I had to keep telling her she was too young until now. Being that we started gymnastics a year ago the studio said she could take the two week summer camp for 3-6 year olds and if it went well then could continue in fall. After 6 days of dance, I was thrilled to hear she listened well and even picked up on some of the dance for the show on the last night. So here we go, all ready for fall classes, I even signed up for one too. Medals and the US flag Friday we had an Olympic themed playdate with some gym...

Don't you just hate when a run or workout doesn't go well and you have no idea why. Saturday I tried pushing through what should have been an easy 10 miles and I hated it! My body was not happy in any way. I immediately felt tired, hungry and just with nothing to give, almost like I was already at mile 24 in a marathon. Why, well no idea. I ate my normal breakfast, got decent sleep and was actually leaving to run 30 minutes later then normal. I started out slower then normal and despite a stop to stretch and see if a little food would help about 3 miles in I was done. I took over BOB duty from Matt and split off from the rest of the group about 4 miles in and headed back doing a run/walk. We made a potty stop for O, I was not complaining about the break! I ended up finishing 8 miles in 1:20:00 (minus time for a toddler potty stop), yikes I am normally 10-11 miles in at this point. We got home and I quickly refueled with a protein and carbs and hoped for a better run next time....

How is it even possible that I have made it over 10 years a distance runner and have never used a foam roller until today? After a weekend of long running, a tough strength workout, speed work (followed by an attempted second run at night) and then boot camp tormenting my legs I decided today was the day. Foam rolling is a form of self myofascial release that releases tension from muscles and causes relaxation leading to increased flexibility and improved range of motion, more information about Foam Rolling here.  I found this article on the benefits of Foam Rolling  with a lot of great information and exercises. And in case you really want to read more  here is a great literature review showing the self-myofascial release improves flexibility and isometric strength. I have resorted to using wooden cylinder blocks in the past to roll my calf but now am the owner of a shiny new foam roller and yikes it works! I positioned my hamstring on the roller and immed...

What was I thinking this past weekend? It is amazing how with such great planning that lack of sleep can make all rational thought away. I Was a little nervous travelling and being at others mercy during the relay with all my food needs so I packed nearly a suitcase full of homemade granola, dried fruit, Lara Bars, Kind Bars and roasted edamame. Knowing there would be places to stop and that others were grabbing fruit and yogurt for me I figured I would be fine for a couple days. Not too bad here, but you should have seen it Monday! Wrong! I was fine until being awake nearly 20 hours on Thursday resulted in grabbing an old favorite of mine: Trader Joe's PB Pretzels. Lack of sleep on Friday ended up with me eating a wonderful homemade bagel and a lemon bar followed by 2 large slices of pizza after the race. As a result of this glutenful eating I was once again sporting the 6 month pregnant look (and there is a picture to prove it, yuck!). I also spent all of Monday in awful pa...

After the 5K a week ago I decided I needed to focus more on speed, makes sense right? How else can you get faster if you don't run faster? Like I said part of it for me in mental, I back down when it gets tough even though I can do more. I am even considering having a friend run a 5K with me and push me to my goal, never letting me back down. Part of the solution was to join a couple running friends for 400m repeats at 5:30 am this morning, sounds good. Not really, my body doesn't run well when half asleep still. Combine that with tired legs from this past weekend and way too many lunges and squats yesterday and you have a tough speed workout. 1 mile warm up 1/3 mile speed- 2:20 Easy 2:00 1/3 mile speed- 2:17 Easy 2:00 1/3 mile speed- 2:16 Easy 2:00 1/3 mile speed- 2:25 Easy 2:00 1/3 mile speed- 2:12 Easy 2:00 1/3 mile speed- 2:13 Easy 2:00 1 mile cool down The plan was to run 1:35 400m (6:20 pace) but I was running around 6:40 pace, so not too great. I hate...

As I mentioned earlier this week I unexpectedly got the opportunity to run my second Ragnar relay this weekend, so with a short time to prepare and pack I was off early Thursday for Washington and what would be a wonderful run with perfect weather. I arrived Thursday afternoon and was met by a friend at the airport while we waited for her husband (who was our van driver) to arrive home after a 20 hour flight home from China. We grabbed to rest of the group, loaded the van and drove up to stay the night near the race start. After a short night of sleep we met van 1 at the start to send them off. I was runner 12 and wouldn't be running for about 10 more hours. I have added a few pictures but find discussing Ragnar difficult to keep short. So here is my focus on running, but soon to come with be Ragnar in pictures along with some non running aspects of the race… Leg 1: 10.8 miles (Very Difficult)1:22:56 I got the handoff around 6pm as the rain was finishing and got my first ...

Every year that I run this race I say never again, but I keep going back for more! The race begin in downtown at 7:30pm before a parade and follows some of the route ending with a party complete with music and beer. This year it was chip timed for the first year and was part of the USATF Championship curcuit. Due to the fact that thousands of runners take part, we were given special bibs allowing access to the front. Wow did I feel intimidated by this! Lining up next to Olympic hopefuls and elite runners, yikes. I am not a nighttime racer, with my long list of food issues and GI complaints this is always tough to figure out. After a fast 4.5 miles in the morning and a hard weight session with my trainer in the afternoon I didn't know what to expect. I was hoping under 20 or at least under 21... Some serious elites, can you tell...The real elites were off warming up with striders I told myself I would push but as usual soon backed off when it got tough after about 1 1...

I am frequently asked how I still with running and my workouts and stay motivated. This question comes up a lot in the bitter cold of Winter and the scorching heat of Summer. There are general answers that rarely change but then there are ever changing motivating factors. In general I am always motivated by this cute face and showing her a strong and healthy role model. I love how she is active already as you can see when she found mommy's old ballet shoes.   Music is always good to get me going, I love the loud music at the race start to get the excitement through the crowd. Even though I have gone away from running with music outside there are times when I still sneak it in for a few miles and routinely on indoor workouts. I recently found these two lists 100 Best Workout Songs from the 90s  and  100 Best Workout Songs of All Time and plan to update my playlists. What are you favorite workout songs? New running clothes looking good always makes me run better ...

Life just keeps throwing me new things to push me outside my comfort zone. Awhile back I had been asked to join a group to run Ragnar Northwest  Passage but wasn't able to commit. Now fast forward to yesterday, and email arrives asking me to step in for a team member who had a family emergency with everything covered (flight, race, etc). Wow what a deal from some women I don't see very often! Part of the 2008 Ragnar group Even with such a great offer and remembering the fun I had 4 years ago with many of this same group I was tempted to back down. I spent a car ride telling Matt (something he already knew) that I hate being in new situation especially those where I lack control. Part of the reason parenting a todddler is so tough for me! He convinced me otherwise, his support along with the many other recent times I have done new and crazy things I decided to say "yes"! I can't wait to fly to Washington later this week and run 24.4 miles over 24 hour...

I never do anything like this,but what a fun experience. It was so nice to take a break from the competitive side of races and focus on fun. A longtime friend of mine ( Gacgirl ), who is new to running set this up and I figured why not. It was fun to run with her and her friend Alecia and just enjoy the atmosphere. All I could think was who ever came up with this? And what kind of race can I start (I need a job, right?)? We got there early and headed to the start with the 20,000 other runners (over 3 hours of starting) and managed to get into Wave 2. It was another hot, humid day and we were glad to be running early. I was so early that I decided to run 4 miles before the start around the college campus, kind of funny that my first time running campus was 12 years after I graduated! I couldn't figure out a better way to explain and talk about the day without a lot of pictures, this was one of those things you just need to see first hand...  Pre-race: still white and clean!...

I just realized I haven't even thought about the goals I set last month and decided it was time to see where I was at and make the changes to reach them. Meal/Snack Planning and stick with it: Doing okay, still looking for more snack ideas, what are your go to healthy snacks?  Register for NASM test: Still need to do this, my studying has taken a backseat to what I don't know! I will register today Complete VO2 max testing and find HR monitor: Done this week and plan in place Start swimming: 1 swim done on Sunday ~800m and even contemplating a tri in August  Make 1 new meal each week: So far I have made Quinoa lasagna with eggplant and the kale quesadillas (below) Kale Black Bean Quesadilla 2 green onions (both white and green) chopped 2 cloves garlic minced 1 bunch (~1 cup shredded) Kale destemmed 1 15oz can black beans rinsed/drained 1 cup sweet corn 1 tsp cumin Sea Salt/Pepper to taste 2 tsp (or more/less) hot sauce 4 brown rice tortillas 2 cups shre...

Yesterday I completed a metabolic test to set my heart rate zones to improve efficiency and training. I last completed this about 6 or 7 years ago and after only a short time gave up on heart rate training but this time be different. I need (okay want) to get faster and feel this combined with my new strength training is the best way to do it. The Test  Everything I needed to start (+ a treadmill)  There were a few requirements I needed to work with: no strenuous exercise the day before (easy Tuesday run) no alcohol the day before no coffee that morning (cheated a little on this) eat a small meal not be sick (finally feeling better) We started with a short walking warm up and progressed to my comfortable run pace (7 mph) at no incline and based on exertion and physiologic factors increased speed and incline to push me with a max at 7.5 mph at 6.0 incline. This was followed by a short walking cool down to return my heart rate to baseline. The Results Con...

Sleep (and a Friday night of sushi and wine) won out over the early 50K on Saturday. It was the right decision considering my chest still hurts and breathing is awful. I can only imagine how tough running that long would have been! Instead we had a fun weekend on running, fishing and food. I finally took the time to listen and decided rather then pushing I would look forward to other races and have found a 50K for next Spring that I will do and a trail half marathon in August. My solo run... Saturday I stuck close to home and ran a 22 mile easy run. I started early with a solo 7 mile then joined my group (including the family) for the next 11 miles and finished solo. What a great morning to think and run. I am so happy to be figuring out long run fueling as I ran with 1 Honey Stinger, Nuun, Water and a few GF pretzels. My GI system was happy, I think I need to limit the gels and focus on "real" food while running instead. Tropical Popsicle 1/2 cup frozen mango sli...

Finally starting to feel better, but this virus (or I hope) has been kicking my butt. I keep hearing of more people having strep over the past week and am starting to wonder. This week I stepped outside my comfort zone on multiple workouts. On Tuesday I skipped Boot Camp to sleep in and hit a morning cardio strength class instead. Low weight, hit reps with bands, dumbbells, steps and body weight. Now I understand why the class is so crowded! Yikes for something so different from my normal I am still sore days later. This week I also started the 30 Day Ab Challenege which is not only a tough Ab workout but takes coordination. Yesterday I made it Boot Camp #2 and showed up to find everyone barefoot and nearly had an anxiety attack walking from my car. Anyone who knows me knows I am never barefoot, especially outside. I wear socks all the time, even when I wear sandals in the Summer I put them on as soon as I get home. I even plan my clothes around socks when I know my shoes will nee...

This was the race shortened due to heat and as much frustration as I expressed I guess I am somewhat happy with it after today. Not only was it 82F and 80% humidity at the start but I have been dealing with a nasty cold the past couple days and it is knocking me out. This combo is not great for running. We decided to get there a little early but I wanted sleep. With the long walk from the car and our pre-race run we managed about 3.5 miles and then got to the start. You know it will be tough when the sweat is starting even before the race. The one thing I love about this race is that although it is timed, they don't have pacers and don't push awards. This is my type of race, I can run it myself and not get caught up in the mental game of the pacers and beating others. Mile 1: 7:35 Starts on Cobblestone and then uphill as I push I know this will be tough and I rethink my goal of beating my 8K time from this spring (37:27). I grab water to dump at the 1 mile stop and push ...

First Boston was record heat, then Med City was hot, humid and windy causing us to take advantage of the option to drop to the half marathon. Next Minneapolis become hotter then expected and last weekend Du at the Dam was another hot humid race. Now the Red, White and Boom half is cut to 5 miles for tomorrow.  The heat continues!  I have been following the race change post on Facebook and find it interesting reading the various pro and con comments. Me I am very irritated to say the least. I do understand their thinking that they are covering their butts and being safe but it is July and we often have this weather. The race begins at 6:30am and has a 3 hour limit meaning some won't finish until 9am but right now at 8:30 it is only 75F so not unbearable running weather and should be similar tomorrow. Key points about the race A bad precedent was set earlier this year when both Green Bay and Madison cancelled. Yes this is needed at times but shouldn't b...

 June was going to be my comeback month in racing and although I am starting to get back I'm not where I wanted to be. Jule meant a lot of changes and decisions meaing more changes to come in July too. Running:165.5 miles Including a Marathon and 5K (1st place AG finish) and more trail running Biking: 13.5 hours + 49.5 miles outside Elliptical: 1.75 hours luckily this continues to be low but I needed a couple run rest days Stregnth: 2-3x week and more running focused and went to my first boot camp Pilates or yoga 1-2x week Made a huge career decision Spending more family time During July I will continue my comeback and get stronger and in better shape again. Continue Gluten/Dairy Free through the month and see if the changes are continuing. Get back to menu planning and food tracking. I have made it cereal free for 2+ weeks and have survived but still need to find more options Swim weekly (Complete at least 1 mile total swimming) PR at 5K later this month Complete...