Marathon Mom

Stillwater half was my final pre-marathon race. The weather was a mess, hot humid and gross! I ran with the 1:40 pacer to keep a nice pace and actually held myself back the first haf but yikes then we turned to the road and no shade and it all faded! I struggled to keep the "easy" pace as did everyone around me. I was happy to finish just 45 secs behind the pacer 1:40:45 and not too far off my goal of 1:38. That heat was brutal... Photo credit Stillwater Gazette Grandmas Marathon  For those who don't follow me on IG  @marathonmom28  here is the short version... I started great, on pace to PR then I became hypothermic (yes in June) and once the rain started it was painful (thank you Raynaud's). I finally walked off the course between mile 19-20 where Matt met me with dry clothes and a warm car. Grandmas this is strike 3, I think I am done!  I spent the car ride home thinking of next races and wondering if I could jump back in, (dumb I know). As we drove...

It would be an understatement to say that April was a crazy month and not fun at times... The month started with my diagnosis of anemia  but at least I now know the reason for the lack of great running! A little update now that I am 1 month into iron supplement. The good news it is working but the bad news is  not as fast as it could if I was on a higher dose. Ferritin is now up to 19 from 5, yay! Still a ways to go but hoping to feel more normal before Grandmas in 6 weeks Other not so fun running news was missing my half marathon 2 weeks ago. I'm sure you have all seen the massive veggie recall going around, well guess who's salad lunches weren't a great idea 😠 . The only good news of this was finally realizing the cause since we were thinking it was related to the high doses of iron supplement. And now the non-running craziness... We are building a new house! It all happened super fast, within 4 days of deciding to not remodel our current home and build instead ...

This winter I have been struggling to hit paces that I easily hit months ago, my body hasn't been recovering great (which I related to getting older), my breathing is off (which I related to asthma) and energy isn't there. I kept thinking this was all the long winter getting to me and long work days, dark mornings, more training, etc, etc. Excuses and frustration! I was due for thyroid labs so I thought maybe this, but I decided to request additional labs to look at anemia. I got some push back since 1 year ago my hemoglobin was fine so she insisted it couldn't be anemia... Source Fast forward a few days to lab results... TSH is great it is amazing how my thyroid has regulated itself after my celiac diagnosis (still on meds but no more constant increase). Hemoglobin at the low end of normal but no red flag here again Ferritin of 5! While normal is 12-150 most endurance athletes need 100-120 at least to feel good and perform well! Iron of 30! Again normal 35...

Now that I have gotten you up dated on 2017 races here is one more running related post.... After a tough start to racing in 2017 with races being derailed due to weather, both too hot and too cold, and illness I think (hope) I am not starting 2018 off the same. I hate to even put it out in writing but I am injury free for the longest time in years. There has been a few short weird aches and pains but nothing that has caused me to miss any training (except 2 days with a pulled back muscle). 2018 has started to be a great year for running (most of the time)... The Good Speed is coming back strong Hit 60+ miles in a week (highest in years) Increasing days running and remaining injury free Yoga once a week at minimum Strength training 3-4 days per week (was 5-6 initially but with work and increased mileage dialing back a little)  PR'd my 1st race of 2018! 8K in 35:44 and 1:27 PR!  I just signed up for marathon #35! Marine Corps Marathon here we come!! The Bad ...

Where to begin? Sorry about the silence over the past months but so much has been happening both in running and life so I will make this multi-part and start with the run part (since this is a running blog!). I guess I should start with a quick wrap up of my last races that I never talked about... The Halfs of August I think I left off with my 5K in August but then I went back to higher distance... Mora  I raced this hilly course a few years ago, missing a top 3 finish by a couple minutes and it has been my goal to get a clock. The top 3 overall finishers get handmade replicas of the big city clock, how cool is that? The weather was good, not too hot but still a little humid. We lined up and I took off behind a couple women and managed to hang in 2nd for about 10 miles but then I was passed by a smart runner who kept her speed. I ran with the goal of overtaking her but never got the chance and ended up in 3rd OA 2nd AG and got my clock! 1:38:30 (not my best but I'll take it...

One of my goals for 2018 is to eat healthier with focus on less processed junk plus no more mindless eating. This is one thing that I wasn't as good on last year and a final piece that I think will add to my run training. As someone with celiac I am always excited when an opportunity comes to try new (to me) GF products, especially one's that are also dairy free and healthy. the GFB offers gluten free, dairy free, non GMO products that taste good and are actually good for you. Check out their site for more info, plus you can order sample packs to try them out! The other day I needed a quick mid afternoon snack while I worked, perfect timing for the Cranberry Toasted Almond GFB. While I am typically not a big fan of cranberry this wasn't too bad. The cranberries were real dried fruit and not overpowering. The bar was filling and got me through the afternoon slump! I can't wait to try the other flavors.   The Power Breakfast was a great quick pre workout...

After a few weeks of poor meal planning resulting in last minute frozen pizzas, dinners out and less than healthy foods  we are back! The past week coach Nichole has also upped me to running 6 days per week. which I haven't done in years. I need to focus on recovery after the tough days and having the right fuel will be key along with gentle yoga on day 7. Meals Sunday Lentil Tamales with black beans and fajita veggies (Hosting Christmas Eve) and of course plenty of cookies: Almond crescents, molasses and I healthified (is that a word?) my grandma's toffee bar recipe! Monday Vegan GF Lasagna with garlic green beans Tuesday Turning Sunday leftovers into fajitas Wednesday Christmas with Matt's family Thursday Tofu curry or Jambalaya (can't decide yet!) Friday "Fried" cauliflower rice Saturday Dinner out? Workouts This past week started my 6 days of running, plus got to kick off the holiday weekend with a family Crossftit workout and last weekend...

Does anyone else feel like they are stuck between their younger self and current adult self?! 40 is chasing me down the last few miles and gaining on me. In only 13 months I turn the big 4-0! Yikes, I was fine with 30, actually liked that birthday, 35 a little tougher but 40 I'm already struggling. Another friend was posting about this on Facebook yesterday so I know I'm not alone. Source As I drove to work this morning I felt like so much contradicting! I'm driving to work in my mom car listening to old school hip hop. Blasting Beastie Boys, Warren G and more thanks to the great local station. Bringing back memories or driving around with friends in high school and college.  I'm headed to my part time job (yes I quit a full time career) for 2 part time jobs, makes me feel like a teenager again although these jobs are still big! I headed in today to meet with a big stakeolders about clinical development and funding, yikes! I have a great career but I still don...

As as sat last night with a glass of wine in hand and eating the Peanut Butter Salted Nut Rolls I took from O's Halloween candy I realized I was past my post marathon indulgence period! The past weeks have been filled with sleeping in, pizza, lack of workouts, wine and lack of great choices. We all deserve time to not focus of strenuous training and goals but I think I have reached the end of that. Especially considering that next week I double my work hours meaning less time to push off the workouts and need for better meal planning, not to mention the lovely winter weather that has already hit us. So here I am putting it out there for all to see, with 2 months left of 2017 I am setting new goals. As we all know the holidays are coming meaning busy days, parties, desserts, wine, colder weather plus with my job busier days and more work. Daily food tracking, mainly because it makes me think twice about the extra junk and mindless eating Morning workouts progressively incr...

Source "Feet don't fail me now, take me to the finish line..." Wise words from Lana Del Ray and I sit here obsessing about Chicago Marathon and full of taper energy. It's almost like the pregnant mom nesting (which I can't say I ever experienced!). Good thing I run marathons more than I'm pregnant, maybe my house will actually get organized. As a marathon veteran I will be the first to say that the nerves, excitement, mixed emotions and craziness of taper don't get any better with experience. So what can one do to relax (a little) pre race. Here are a few suggestions... Focus your energy on something else: read, bake (but don't carb load too much), have a family outing. Focus on healthy eating, increasing healthy carbs and hydration. Look back over your training and look at the highlights and runs that will help push you through the tough spots. Visualize the race and the finish you want. Plan for race day: nutrition, clothes, post race fun, ...

Well let's see if I can do this again...my blog ate my entire post!! I'm back for a little update and looking ahead. 1 month until my 33rd marathon. I am returning to the site of my 3rd marathon and first sub 4 (I managed a 75 minute PR!). I am not expecting anything as spectacular as that but hoping for a great race and maybe even a small PR.  Training has been going well (almost hate to say it aloud!). I have been focusing on slowing down my easy and long runs allowing me to focus on harder speed and hill workouts. I've even raced a couple shorter races in this cycle and managed a couple PRs there! I haven't been forced to take time off (knock on wood!) and am up to 5-6 days of running a week. I went into this training with a better strength base but have decreased that intensity over the past month. Rest days are being taken advantage of, no hard cross training but using these as yoga or pilates days and getting in a long walk with the dogs or an easy bike. ...

Sorry, playing catch up on the blog this week. Some big things ahead as I turn 39 tomorrow, yikes! Struggling with this one and not motivated to write other than the many posts that happened in my head...Back to the point of why I'm here. A couple weeks ago I signed up for a 5K, yikes! You all know how much I hate those. Nichole encouraged me to shake things up a bit and try racing something short. After the other race in July I figured why not. O also wanted to run so with plenty of warning she knew not to try to run with me! I headed out for a 2 mile warm up then met up with her to start, she wanted to line up with me, I had her on the outer edge not to block faster runners but seeing others who had lined up in front I knew we'd be fine. My goals were to 1) don't go out too fast 2) keep pace around 7:00 3) negative split 4) win! So what did I accomplish...A sub 7:00 pace, not entirely a negative split as I went out too fast! but I did finish 2nd behind one guy and ...

Just about 10 weeks out from Chicago Marathon that is still undecided whether it will be an A race or not and filled with the typical training ups and downs. I have handed over control of my training to Nichole and am focusing my energy or writing plans for others while she controls mine! Even trying something new with some 5K races, eek! 1- Struggle: Last Saturday was a struggle. Friday morning the long run fell apart. Had planned to run that day but overslept (so did my training buddy!). Got in my hills that day then sat at the beach, didn't eat great and had a few glasses of wine plus stayed up later than I should. Saturday I struggled from the first few miles but I did it. I am often asked if after all these years I have bad runs and yes I do! I'm not afraid so say I struggled, thought about quitting and had many doubts! Soak in the beauty of the run and just let it push you along! Even Garmin could tell I was struggling! Anyone know how this Recovery time is dete...

We are in a week of minimal activities as dance intensives are auditions are over for now and due to the results O has chosen to give up team gymnastics due to scheduling conflicts so no gymnastics either this week. Perfect time to get focused on meal planning and better eating again. O also informed us a week ago that she was becoming a vegetarian for a week, this has changed to her being vegetarian forever. I am thrilled, Matt indifferent. We have been have her give input on meals as well and she seems very excited to not eat meat. Much different than when I became vegetarian (the first time) and my mom took me to the doctor who told her how unhealthy it was and I was forced to eat meat or not be in sports! What?! I’m glad things are changing. My training mileage and intensity is increasing so I find myself hungry! I had to explain hangry to O on Friday after staying at the beach through lunch Friday! The UCAN Coffee Bar I ate at 10am and the almonds I snacked on the 4 hours we ...

No matter how hard I physically train I have managed to mentally defeat myself at the worst times. Any runner knows that running is not all physical and the mental side of running is huge, for me at least 50% of a run is mental. In the beginning running was only fun (okay not always fun). I had no real goals other than get out and run, finish a race, go a little further. In these days I'm sure I still had a mental side but it was easier to accept that it didn't go well and I could back off. Then I overtrained, ran daily, became injured and kept missing my goals, I focused soley on physical training and I kept falling short. Next phase I became a mom, running was again something I did. I enjoyed the time for me, getting out and training when others said I never would. I also benefited from the postpartum speed with a year and half of amazing running that came pretty easy, knocking of PRs at every distance. A hamstring injury, full time job, lack of good training and I was not w...

This past Saturday was a local 3.7 mile race, it runs 1 loop around a lake giving it the weird distance. I have run this 2 or 3 times in the past, most recently 4 years ago when I finished 2nd in my AG with a time of 28:00. I rarely race anything under a half marathon. Let's be honest, I hate the feeling of pushing so hard you hurt! I'd rather suffer to a little less extent for a longer time! Earlier in the week the weather was perfect for running, 60s and cloudy, but come Saturday the heat wave returned, hot humid ad heat index reaching 100+, yuck! Friday evening Cooper startled when someone came to the door and used my foot/ankle as a launching pad resulting in multiple scratches and a deeper cut right on the top of my foot where my laces hit! I had no idea if this would cause me pain to run. We got there with a little time to spare, I took an easy warm up run to adjust the laces to not rub then met up with some MRTT friends. We complained about the heat and got ready to ...

These past 2 weeks after Grandma's Marathon have been exactly what I needed. 2 weeks of low running without expectations, the ability to skip a run if I wasn't feeling it, a complete transition away from my overly stressful job that was taking over my life and working to make myself and family a priority. We spend much of last weekend at the softball fields coaching O's team to a consolation bracket win! In true MN weather we were cold, bundled up in jackets and pants and even pulled out hand warmers for the Sunday morning games! All weekend I was wishing that this weather had been there the previous weekend for the marathon. Heading to the game! Is it really June?! This week I struggled with running, legs were heavy, I was tired, I just didn't have that push. I kept low miles, walked if needed and didn't look at pace, my body was asking for recovery. I even skipped my 4 miles midweek when O asked to join me, we did 2.25 miles run/walk averaging around 10:30 ...

Well, Grandma's was to be my replacement marathon for being sick right before Flying Pig and not being able to race. Coach Nichole and I decided to give it another shot since I was recovered quick after Pig and ready to race. I was lucky enough to find a last minute hotel and a friend wanting to share Friday night. After a week + pf tracking weather that looked perfect, tailwind, highs of 60, cloudy, it all changed! We got up early to ride to the start. Since Grandma's is a point to point course they bus to the start. I waited in a nice long porta-potty line as I drank my UCAN and shed my top layer of clothes. It was lightly sprinkling and a little cool, perfect! After dropping my bag I weaved my way through the crowds to get between the 3:35 and 3:25 pacers (no 3:30 pacer). The DJ played "Let's Go Crazy" and I had a great feeling, I was ready. That is my song, not only am I a huge Prince fan but on the bus to Boston the year I PR'd that song was playing. ...

So much has been happening in my life over the past month or so, some big changes in store for me and the family. I have finally made some decisions on what I need to be focusing on at this time in my life and how to be better. I'm learning what I want from myself and life (yes, it has taken me many years!). Today is the first day of many new things... 1. I worked the final day at my job yesterday! The job that has caused me so much stress and anxiety is now removed from my life. I am no longer required to push family commitments aside to be at work in evenings or weekends or working from home to finish countless hours of charting. I woke this morning with such a sense of relief and calm, I slept great and feel refreshed not dread and anxiety. I am excited for my new opportunity that is much different and very much employee friendly. I am scared leaving a very stable full time job for something with some uncertainty but sometimes you just need to take the leap! 2. Summer Bucket...

Happy Running Day Everyone! Although I don't really need a special day to run, but way not. It seems like a lot of races are getting in on the fun now and offering discounts too so even better. I have partnered with Nathan Sports to share some great runner essentials and also give away a prize pack to one reader! Hipster Belt: I have struggled finding a good belt to carry my phone, more important one that doesn't move or slide around on runs. This belt is great! I have used it on a few long runs and it stays put. My phone is securely in the pocket so no fear that it will crash onto the pavement! SpeedShot Plus: Holds 12 oz of fluid. Which for me is perfect since I don't drink a lot when I run, For me it was small enough to carry without being annoying or too heavy. My hand fit great in the handle without even needing to really hold the bottle. I rarely carry water (or my UCAN Hydrate) on runs under 2 hours unless it is hot and humid so this came at a perfect time...