Marathon Mom

I used to be in such a good habit f planning meals and getting things ready over the weekend, but have gotten away from that leading to those last minute "what's for dinner" complaints. Laura and Jill and hosting a weekly menu planning link up every Sunday so I decided this would be a great way to get back in the habit. I am starting small with only dinner (breakfast tends to be the same and lunch is usually leftovers) and add in snack planning as I go.     DINNER SUNDAY Pizza: HM brown rice crust with veggies MONDAY Southwest Quinoa TUESDAY Almond Butter on Spelt bread (quick dinner before running) Fruit WEDNESDAY Blueberry Pancakes (GF) Applesauce (O’s request) THURSDAY Chickpea/ spinach curry Roasted cauliflower FRIDAY Black Bean Burgers and roasted sweet potatoes SATURDAY Pasta with Arugula & Bea...

Another week of marathon training almost done and here I sit 10 days from race day and the weather obsession is beginning (right now it looks decent but could be a little warmer to start the race). With my crazy start to the week the taper fits perfect, no matter how hard I try after waking up at 3:30a and spending nearly 10 hours working I just can't convince myself a hard workout is a good idea, but anything is better then nothing. How to fit it in Make it a priority: Schedule workouts into your day and write in down. Decide what you are willing to skip: An extra hour of sleep, drinks with friends, relaxing during lunch break. What is more important then workouts? This may be different each day. Fit it in: I often run during my daughter's dance class or during naptime. Multitask: Read/study on the bike trainer, watch TV on the treadmill, run to the store for groceries. Find short workouts: I used to routinely do 30 Day Shred in the morning (only 20 minutes) or a 30 ...

As important as tapering for a marathon (or any big race) is for your body to recover and rebuild physically it is such a mental game too. I think I right this post every marathon training cycle, the taper madness kicks in and my mind goes crazy with "what ifs" and "should haves". Time to push these thoughts away and remember I have already done what I could, nothing can be gained at this point, it can only be lost. So how do we as runners who have just spent the last 4+ months training hard cut down on the quantity and intensity? The key is still working hard enough and getting in those quality workouts but easing back on the workouts and taking easy days to balance. Pete Pfitzinger has a great 3 week taper plan integrating the important workouts with easy days. This plan also advises an easy run the day before the race. 3 WEEK MARATHON TAPER Monday Tuesday ...

Remember a few days ago when I said I loved fall, well I changed my mind! So far we've had two days in a row of overnight frost and cold mornings. I have forgotten all about this after the extreme heat all summer. It was such a shock to be preparing for a race when it was expected to be 34F at the start. After multiple times of rethinking my outfit, I finally decided on capris, wool socks, short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, jacket, mittens and headband. Was it a good choice? Yes and no. As per my usual cold weather runs my fingers were numb, ugh. My legs were fine but I overdid the top half.   I met up with a couple friends before the start and did my share of complaining about the weather, but this was short lived as we were off and running. My goal was for a negative split and ideally a sub 1:10 race. The short version: neither happened, instead things I had never planned on occurred.. The race began fine, I pushed through the early hills focusing on keeping a comfortable p...

This will be short and sweet, so much that I honestly debated even writing about it. When I registered I had all intentions of fully participating but today that changed, I have two big races soon (including one Sunday) and didn't want to risk injury. This weekend also marked the start of fall and the coldest day we've had in over 6 months. I was not happy about running through cold mud in 40 degree air! After running 5 miles with my group and a strong internal debate I decide to stop wimping out and go. I can always just run, right? Matt and I somehow managed to get up to the front of our wave which was wonderful since at least 3/4 of the people weren't even running. We were lucky enough to be able to run, I realized this about 1 mile in when I looked back and saw the crowd of walkers and back up at obstacle 1. Yes, I wimped out of many of the obstacles, many since I knew my numb, gloved hands wouldn't work well to support me and there was no need to risk a fal...

This past week I have gotten many great things in the mail... Skirt Sports Wonder Girl Dress  I entered an online contest through Skirt Sports and was very surprised to find out I won! Not only did I get the dress, but also a new Fuel Belt. Love the dress, it fits great, but not sure about running in a dress. Anyone ever run in a dress, what did you think? I have a couple skirts but somehow this just seems different. If nothing else it will be great on hot days and thanks to the nice little pocket inside it will be perfect for vacation in Costa Rica with somewhere to stash my room key without needing pockets. ProBar A few weeks back I was contacted by Pro Bar to be an ambassador for their product, of course! Who wouldn't want to be associated with a healthy snack bar that tastes great. I received my first box along with a t-shirt and cute coffee mug. I got the Fruition Bars: Blueberry, Lemon and Peach plus a few Nutty Marshmallow (vegan!). I have tried them all and lov...

I love fall, okay most of it except the fact that it means winter is on the way which I can do without. But fall is wonderful: pumpkins, squash, apples, cooler running weather and marathons. Besides the joy of drinking coffee and eating pumpkin anything to refuel after a run there are so many reasons to love fall running... Cooler temperatures: No more (or much less) extreme heat allowing for pushing through runs much easier and speeding up. Let the cooler weather guide you and after a short warm up add short intervals of speed or increase overall pace Enjoy not always needing to carry water Add distance slowly as you feel it, likely being able to cover a longer run in the same time as the summer heat Crisp morning air is the perfect way to wake up No more waking up super early to avoid the heat Time to pull out the cute long sleeve running clothes that have been packed away all summer Enjoy the changing leaves No ice or snow yet instead the sound of crunching leaves un...