Marathon Mom

Welcome to the first 13 in 2013 link-up and giveaway! Prizes: Active Accessories  – On-ther-Go hairbands Flexline Hydration  - Hands Free Backpack Hydration System Energy Bits  – sample packs Fit Approach  – Sweat Pink shoe laces Mediterranean Snacks  – on-the-go size variety pack How To Enter: a Rafflecopter giveaway Don't forget Tackle The Miles our first race in The 13 in 2013 Virtual Race Series Race Bib

I want to apologize for the complete randomness of this post, but it all seems to fit in my mind. Food and running, what more do you need?! Last week we were once again stuck inside due to sub 0 weather so I made the most of it and put my runners through a killer hill workout on the treadmill. I did a similar workout while training for Boston and it is actually a little fun and great work, believe me your legs will feel it. It is so adaptable to what you need, shorten the intervals and decrease if needed. Hill training is a great tool from runners to provide strength and endurance, check out all the benefits of hill training . Now my next piece of randomness, check out this story on a 101 year old marathon runner! He started running marathons at 89, wow! and after his marathon next month will retire 5 weeks before he turns 102. Can you even imagine this? I can only hope to still be running (or alive) at that age, but what a great example of how age can't stop you. And...

Happy Birthday to my little princess who turns 3 today. The terrible 2s are behind us and we enter the Terrific 3s now (a mom can dream, right?!). I can’t believe 3 years have passed already and how much you have grown and we have all learned. You started pre-school last week and move to the “big girl” class at gymnastics now. 3 is such a transitional time and I can’t wait to see what is ahead for you and how much you will continue to grow. You are such a big girl, always trying to learn everything, so inquisitive and loving. Although the drama could be a little less on days. I should have known that you would only make life more interesting and I hope I am succeeding as the mom you want and love. I know at times I get frustrated and could be a better mom, I am sorry for the times I have needed to work and plopped you in front of the TV or the battles we have over stupid things like wearing a princess dress to the park. I am learning as I go and aiming to make you happy. W...

Linking up with  Jill  and  Laura for menu planning despite my lack of ambition and ability to plan ahead. I think we have hit a food rut and realized we are rotating the same meals constantly so I decided to think outside our typical. What is your go to meal? My goal is to add in 1 new meal a week. Sunday: Black Bean burgers & sweet potato fries on the grill Monday: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Tuesday: Squash Mac N Cheese (leftovers from birthday lunch) Wednesday: Tortilla Soup Thursday: Pancakes Friday: Spinach Chickpea Curry Saturday: ?? I did make a few recipe discoveries this week: Apple Egg Nog Granola and Peanut Stir Fry, recipes coming.   How did this past week go? As I mentioned earlier my motivation was gone and things weren’t exactly as I hoped. Thursday and Friday got me back on track, but Saturday I cut my run short due to calf pain- a little stretching and rolling and I think we are good. Sunday:  9mile easy morning...

Source What a difference a day (and a a change of scenery) makes! Knowing I had a busy Thursday ahead of  me I set out for an early run but failed and turned my alarm off thinking my run was gone due to an afternoon commitment, but I did it. I spent the morning at a high school talking about my career  education and past experience, it was interesting to hear from another woman who I have known for 20+ years that she had done something similar at the peak of her career and survived. Since I was out enjoying the bitter cold sub 0 weather I decided to hit the gym for the elliptical. Instead I changed and decided to hit the treadmill, I actually wanted to run! I convinced myself that I could always run easy and then move to elliptical for the rest of my workout. My music started and I optimistically set the treadmill for 1 hour, put in an easy 7.0 mph and started. This felt good and the gym's constant activity was a good distraction, heck even CNN seemed interesting! Afte...

I seem to have lost my motivation and it has hidden very well this time! Time to send out the search party and safely return it to me quickly! I thought vacation was the solution to fixing the winter blahs but it has only worsened it this year. I am returning from 90 degrees and sunny runs outside all week to discover bitter cold at home. We are now on day 6 of sub 0 weather with wind chills in the -30s! This is not fun running weather and there is no way I am outside. I think I have already run on the treadmill more in the past month than I have in the past year. I've had enough, I can't deal with another run staring at a wall or mindless TV. This winter has been tough especially when comparing to the lack of snow and higher temps last year that resulted in only 1 day of bad running that I can remember. This motivational loss is not great timing considering this is Marathon training week 1, I actually got so frustrated to the point of getting off the treadmill yeste...

Announcing the first race of the 13 in 2013 Virtual Race Series, Tackle the Miles. Jill and I will be hosting 6 13 in 2013 virtual races throughout the year to help you reach your running goal! The series is open to everyone, not just 13 in 2013 participants! You can see the race calendar here .    The first race of the series is Tackle the Miles Virtual Race. Whether you’re a Patriots fan or a diehard 49er join us in celebrating Super Bowl Sunday. (No you don’t have to run the race on Sunday. You have a week to complete the miles!) WHAT:  A virtual race is running a specified distance (You choose the distance.), timing yourself, without actually being present in the race location. WHEN:   Anytime during the week of February 1st-8th WHERE:   Pick your favorite local route or jump on the treadmill. WHY:  For the love of running and….PRIZES (multiple winners)! HOW:  Register by completing the form be...

My view every morning from our balcony Sorry for the week of sporadic posting and blog reading but I was enjoying my time relaxing in the sun and warmth of Costa Rica. I was not thrilled to return home from a week in 90F weather to -17F when I stepped off the plane and now today it is the coldest day in 4 years, yikes! My first experience with Costa Rica was in 2006 when Matt and I spent a week near Liberia, we were immediately hooked and knew we'd be back. Things were a little different this time around and included an almost 3 year old and my parents and we stayed further south in Tamarindo at the Barcelo Langosta Beach Resort but we're reminded why we had wanted so much to return (and will be going back again). Can you complain about a place where the weather is always sunny and warm, the people are friendly, the land is beautiful and the wildlife is plentiful? Mountain view from our room I could write forever but I will keep it short and say most of it in pictu...

Back to post-vacation reality and menu planning and my normal eating habits. As much as I love vacation, it is great to be back to my own food, cooking and workout schedule! Linking up with  Jill  and  Laura . We added gluten back in this past week with no change for O so looks like that experiment is over and she is officially off gluten free. Sunday: Veggie Pizza Monday:   Black Bean/Sweet Potato Quesadilla Tuesday:  Run Night- Sandwich and fruit Wednesday: Pad Thai Thursday:   Black Bean Butternut Squash Friday:  Grilled Sandwiches with Sweet Potato “fries” Saturday:  Lentil Tacos This past week in workouts was much different and without any plans, it was wonderful to be back outside running in warmth and sun! Matt and I managed almost daily morning runs and I got in 3 days of weights in the afternoon with some time on the spin bike during naps. I am happy to say I am on Day 6 of my 30 day Yoga Challenge! Week 1 of maratho...

Today is Day 1 of my 30 Day Yoga Challenge and hopefully as you are reading I am done with my first of many yoga workouts! Why yoga? I have been saying for months I need to do this again, the benefits are endless! Increased strength and flexibility, injury prevention and decreased stress. I was talking to someone the other day who said she has taught her young daughter yoga to calm herself when she gets upset or frustrated. What a great idea, I decided to start trying this (kind of) too since O tends to be a little dramatic and easily gets herself worked up. The other day in the midst of a near fit I told her to show me some stretches from dance, she sat down started stretching and breathing and her mood immediately changed. AMAZING! Since I am not taking a class on this first day I turned to Pinterest for the answer, I love Pinterest! Here are a few workouts I found: Good Morning Yoga Pretty simple to follow and easy moves, great workout outside to start the day off   ...

My Daily Reminder I want to thank everyone for your support and encouragement on my big decision to quit working and pursue my coaching/training career further . I know this was right for me and others are seeing it too, so far this week I’ve had 3 people comment how I seem happier and my esthetician said the energy was so positive (okay not sure I get into that but sounds great!). I am excited for all the doors to open but in the meantime we are working on saving a little money to make up for my lost income. Is it possible to live a healthy lifestyle without spending a lot? Buy running shoes/clothes online: I love Running Warehouse where I can typically get my $130 shoes for <$100, combine with free 2 day shipping and free returns and I love the site. They frequently offer discount codes too for another 10-15% off! Check out frequent workout programs at the gym: Many insurance companies and employers offer gym discounts for working out 12 times a month, this is really...

One of the most frequent questions coming up with 13 in 2013 (and by many other runners) is How do I train and plan for multiple races? Since I began racing in 2003 my yearly (typically March through November) has grown from 2 a year to 20+ a year. How do you find that balance between over racing and racing enough? Through my own learning experiences I can share some advice, I once ran (attempting to BQ) at 6 marathons in under 18 months… Pick a goal race (or a few spread out) and fill in with others later to supplement the schedule and help with training for the goal races. Schedule some shorter races at pertinent times in the training to do some speed work at a short race or run a half marathon at marathon pace as training. Schedule in low times to recover. Without recovery you won’t be fully prepared for the next race. If you schedule a second race too soon make sure to run it for fun. Don’t overdo it or you’ll risk injury, over training and burnout. Make sure every 3...