This past Sunday I finished my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. Going in I knew it was going to be a challenging race. Thanks to my heel, I was undertrained. Not only had I not done much in the way of long runs, I had completely lost my strong base that I've had for the last few years. But I wanted this race and I was pretty sure I could finish if my heel cooperated. I admit I was feeling a little bit bitter about the near perfect weather and the fact that I was not in shape to run a PR. But I was given the opportunity to run to honor a fallen soldier and that pretty much led to an instant attitude change. After that, everything else was just the small stuff. Marine Corps Marathon 2018 October 28, 2018 5:39:15 Temp: 48 at the start, low 60s … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon Runfessions
I'm not sitting here counting down the hours until the Marine Corps Marathon. OK, maybe I am. I haven't been this nervous about actually finishing a marathon since my very first MCM in 2008. And then I was nervous because it was my first, not because I was undertrained. This weekend should be... interesting. I mostly have to make my self stick to my goal of doing it slow. If my ego gets in the way and I push at the start, my race is going to suck. So feel free to send me "stick to the plan" vibes. And maybe a few, "hang in there, heel" vibes. I must runfess that the only reason I want to run this year is to get into Runner's Club. I know life is just going to get crazier for the next few years between ZOOMA and the kids getting … [Read more...]
Race views and ZOOMA challenges
Today's topic for Tuesdays on the Run is "Best things seen at a race". I've seen some pretty amusing things: guys running only in thongs, jogglers, dribblers (literally a guy dribbling a basket ball the whole race), awesome costumes, awful costumes, etc. But, despite running with my phone, I pretty much never take pictures and I have the memory of a gnat, so I leave you with this... Moving right along.. Here are our upcoming topics: 10/23 – Standout Post-Race Food 10/30 – Halloween! 11/6 – Racing Mistakes 11/13 – The Best City I Ever Ran In Is… 11/20 – Black Friday And October 16 at 10am EST, ZOOMA opens its winter challenges. You can join us for the Holiday Challenge - a movement and self care challenge for … [Read more...]
If you give a runner $1000, she’s gonna buy…
an entry into her first ultra. And if she enters into an ultra, she's gonna need to buy a new GPS watch. And if she buys a new GPS watch, she's going to want a race to try it out. And if she's going to run a race, she's going to need a new skirt to run in. And if she gets a new skirt to run in, she'll definitely need some new shoes. And if she gets some new shoes, she'll have to get some socks to match. And that's how a runner spends $1000 in a hot minute... How would you spend $1000 on running if you had a financial windfall? … [Read more...]
ZOOMA Cape Cod in pictures
This past weekend was incredible! It always amazes me that working so hard can be so fun! I got into Providence on Thursday afternoon and met the rest of the ZOOMA crew for the drive to Falmouth. We headed to the Sea Crest where we met to course director for a drive around the course. I was in the way back of the van, so no pictures were taken, but the course was absolutely gorgeous. Then we headed back to the Sea Crest for dinner and a relatively early bedtime. Friday I popped out of bed before my alarm and headed for a short run along the coast. I was lucky because I managed to get out and back before the rains came. Next up was hours of prepping for and then attending the ZOOMA expo. I got to meet a lot of the … [Read more...]
Race Weekend Runfessions
I'm writing this from the hotel room at the Sea Crest in Falmouth. Which is to say, my views are currently amazing! This weekend is ZOOMA Cape Cod and this is likely my last quiet moment before the wild ride begins. No matter how much planning you do, there are always surprises. The trick is to handle those surprises in a way that does not negatively impact a race. But it's nearing Friday and it's runfession week, so here are a few things that are going on in my life. I runfess that when I woke up the morning after the Clarendon Day Double that I was pretty sure I was going to defer Marine Corps Marathon. Everything hurt! But the deferral window had closed (or I was too stupid to figure out how to do it), so that was no longer … [Read more...]
Clarendon Day Double Race Recap
Clarendon Day Double September 22, 2018 1:49:29 Temp: 60s and humid What I wore: visor, tank top, a Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze skirt, and Altra Ones. September has been a challenging month so far. I managed one decent run - 12 miles with the last 6 in the pouring rain back in early September. Then the combination of limping post run + ZOOMA Great Lakes meant a couple of weeks off from running. I biked and ellipticalled and lifted weights, but I didn't run from September 9-21. And I still had pain when I woke up. Going into this weekend's races, I knew I had to do them or write off the Marine Corps Marathon completely. Transfer period was over, deferrals had closed. If I couldn't manage this run, there was very little hope of … [Read more...]
How to put the ZING back in your relationship
Sometimes the excitement starts to wane. I mean we all get bored sometimes and start wondering if there's something better out there. But we all want to keep things exciting and today on Tuesdays on the Run, I'm going to tell you how. Read and learn. Cheat. Well, let's just start off with the big guns then. But seriously, if you are tired of running, do something else for a while. Take a class, join a gym, pull your old bike out of the garage. Nothing makes running more appealing than a little time away. Buy a new toy or a special outfit. I mean sometimes you gotta freshen things up. What better than something to make the activity a bit more fun - like a new Garmin. Or how about a new foam roller to liven things up? It's a … [Read more...]
5 Fun Fall Fitness Activities in the DC Area
OK, I admit I tried to come up with an "F" word for activities, but this week has been about a million years long and I'm tired. Why is it that four day weeks always seem so much longer than a regular week? Is it because we are trying to get 5 days of work into 4 days? Hmm... Anyways, I keep hearing about lots and lots of cool stuff to do this fall in the DC area. It makes me want to do all.the.things, but I'm horribly overbooked already. So, you should go do them for me... Mad Fox Brewing's Bend and Brew - Join them on September 24 for their first ever yoga and beer pairing. Bring your own yoga mat and enjoy yoga and 4 sample sizes of beer. Stick around afterwords for happy hour priced beer. I'm hoping to make it to this, but … [Read more...]
Race all the miles. Travel all the places.
This fall is looking a little crazy. In fact, I may have bitten off more than I can chew - especially considering I'm still babying my ankle a bit. But today on Tuesdays on the Run we are talking fall plans, so I'm going to put it all down "on paper" for the first time. I'm actually kind of scared right about what it's going to look like. Admittedly, some of the races I won't actually be running... September 15 - ZOOMA Great Lakes - my race season kicks off with me not actually running. I'll need to sneak in a few miles though, so hopefully I can enjoy some of the beautiful course after the runners are done. September 22 - Clarendon Day 5K + 10K - I love this local race. If you do the "Clarendon Day Double", you run a 5K down … [Read more...]
Friday Runfessions: 58 Days and Counting
This month has flown by as I madly juggle all of the balls I have in the air. Some days I predict things will completely fall on my head, but most of the time I manage to pull things out. As we approach the first of the fall ZOOMA races, I'm only mildly in panic mode. But it's the last Friday of the month and time to join my buddy Marcia in the runfessional. I have to runfess that this is the worst training season I've ever had for a marathon. I just can't find my ability to care. At least in the past, I've at least been trying. Maybe because it's my fifth MCM, which means I get into Runners Club when I finish. I think I might be suffering from a case of senioritis. I must also runfess that I've totally given up on a training … [Read more...]
How running took me from depression to a new career
For many years, if you asked me, I would say running was my anti-depressant. And it was (and still is to some extent) a big part of my mental health. But in so many ways, running has changed me AND its role in my life has changed over the years. Since our Tuesdays on the Run topic is "how has running changed me", I'm going to chronicle my relationship with running through my 6 word running memoir. 1. Running off the beer and wine. Yeah, that was my college running. It was all about running on the weekdays so I could drink what I wanted on the weekends. It sort of worked LOL. 2. Running to wear my skinny clothes. Once I was out in the real world, I just wanted to stay in my small suits. I liked the way I looked and I ran purely to … [Read more...]
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