This post about surviving allergy season was sponsored by CVS Minute Clinic, but all opinions (and allergies) are my own. I love spring. It's a beautiful time of year in Virginia. The sun has come out, the temperature is generally mild, and tons of flowers are blooming. Unfortunately, all of the trees are also producing pollen. I'm allergic to many evergreens and Jones is allergic to oak trees, so when my car looks like this... ...you know we are miserable. But lot of my races are in the spring and I can't stay inside during the best time of the year to be outside, so we had to come up with a solution. … [Read more...]
Five brands that make my running life better
I've been running regularly for about 13 years now. I started when my teen was just a baby. When I first started, I only owned a couple of tech t-shirts, some compression shorts, and a random pair of running shoes that was on sale. I ran like that for more than four years. When I ran my first race, I wore a pair of men's running tights because that's all I could find at the last minute for an unexpectedly cold race. I've come a long way since then! In fact, I'm wearing four of the brands I love in this picture! (This post contains affiliate links.) … [Read more...]
Spring training is in the books!
Do I sound a little bit excited? Maybe it's because there will be no more Air Supply popping up on random play on my iPod during my runs. (Don't judge.) Maybe it's because I survived two days in a row of running for more than 3 hours and lived to tell the tale. Maybe it's because I have two toenails that are about to part ways with my toes and that's enough for one training cycle. Whatever the reason, I'm thrilled that training is D.O.N.E. DONE. So, it's quite fitting that today's Tuesdays on the Run topic is "Spring Training Update". Join Patty, April, and me as we talk about how our plans went/are going. We'd love to hear about yours! What are some of your highs? Your lows? Anything funny happen on the runs? … [Read more...]
Weekly Wrap-Up + #rockyourcore continues…
Last week was the last big training push for me. I had a goal of two 18 milers and a total of 50 miles for the week. And I totally hit my goals. I'm linking up with Tara at Running 'n' Reading and here's how my week went down: Monday, I worked out by doing laundry and cleaning my house - when you have two sets of stairs and the laundry room is in the basement, trust me, that's a workout. It was a beautiful day though and at the end I was totally kicking myself for not getting out there. Tuesday I got in a 5.3 mile run with a friend in the first warm weather we've had. I actually wore short sleeves and a skirt! Wednesday I hit up my exercise bike and did my #rockyourcore exercises. I thought I had a crazy busy day, but … [Read more...]
thinking out loud
I'm joining up with Amanda at Running with Spoons for some "thinking out loud" because I have lots of stuff running around in my head. So here is your weekly dose of randomness... 1. I plan to run 18 miles on Thursday and 18 on Friday. I had originally planned on one more 20 miler, but my schedule just won't allow it to happen. To be honest, even hitting 18 is going to require everything to go absolutely perfectly from the time I get up until I finish. Why? Because I have a call with a client and have precisely the amount of time I need to drop the kid off at school, run, and get on the phone (ok, I might have a 10 minute cushion. maybe.) If I manage this, it'll be the most distance I've ever covered in two days and will still … [Read more...]
TOTR: Time management while marathon training
Endurance training takes a lot of time, especially if you are not one of the Speedy McSpeedersons. Half marathons, marathons, any of the longer triathlons... They all take a lot of time and energy. That's why today's Tuesdays on the Run topic is "time management while race training." Share your tips and experiences with Patty, April, and me. And if you have nothing to say no this topic, feel free to link up any running related topic. Also, please welcome Janell from Run With No Regrets, our guest host this week! We all know I'm kind of crazy. I have this thing for not just one endurance event, but multiple in a row. Some of that is because I've found that my superpower is recovery, some of it is because I like challenges. Just for … [Read more...]
Five Runfessions Friday
This has been a crazy week. In fact, I'm not sure how it's almost Friday as I type this. I just finished homework time with the younger kid and I swear my ears are bleeding. But, Friday it is, which means that the weekend is at hand. After, of course, one more bout of nasty weather here in Virginia. I'm just hoping they are all wrong and the precipitation is just cold rain. And, just for the record, I will be running indoors if it's raining. BTDT on the cold rain and I'm really not up for more. Today, I'm linking up for my usual Friday Five with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia, but since their topic is spring and spring does not want to arrive, I've decided to join Marcia for five Friday Runfessions. … [Read more...]
RNR DC Weekend Recap
This weekend was crazy: crazy fun, crazy cold, crazy stressful, crazy busy. No boring here this weekend. I'm linking up with Tara over at Running 'n' Reading for my weekend recap. … [Read more...]
TOTR: Weight loss or maintenance during distance training
Welcome to Tuesdays on the Run!! Thanks for joining Patty, April, and me while we talk about weight loss/maintenance while running long distances. I'm gonna be honest here - I don't have all the answers. I'm not even sure I have some of the answers. Fact: I gained weight when I trained for both previous marathons and I gained weight each time I trained for 5 half marathons in 5 days. I haven't actually gained any weight in this training session, but I'm pretty sure that's because I had already gained it all in my last training cycle. Yeah. That. And no, it's not all muscle weight gain. There's definitely more "fluff" on my body right now. I can feel it anytime I put on regular clothes. (OK, that's easy to solve. Stop wearing … [Read more...]
The winter that would not end
I woke up at 4:45am today. Not because I wanted to, but because the school system texted: Schools closed. There may have been a few curse words uttered in response. I had expected a delay, but it never crossed my mind that they would close. (Turns out, it wasn't a bad call - I saw a dude wipe out on a sidewalk that was in full sun an hour after the kids would have gone with a delay.) Solid ice was still coating everything when I got up two hours later than I normally would. But I have 17 miles to run today. Umm, yeah. … [Read more...]
No excuses + 5 races to run in the DC area
This week has been one of the more challenging weeks I've ever had while training in the winter. I think I got really spoiled the last two winters or maybe I just took to my treadmill more. Or maybe it's that I've surpassed the half marathon distance for my long runs and I haven't had to do that in four years. … [Read more...]
TOTR: Tips for buying a treadmill
Treadmills. Some people love them. Some people hate them. I'm actually pretty neutral. Sometimes I'm in the mood to run in place, some days the thought of getting on makes me ill. So, Patty, April, and I decided that this week's topic for Tuesdays on the Run would be treadmill tips. Seems pretty timely with the cold and snow that is buffeting much of the U.S. Since I've written a post or two about running on the treadmill and used up all of my tips on a guest post about surviving a long run on the treadmill, I decided to write about my own personal hell right now: treadmill purchasing. So many options out there, so many different price levels, so many decisions! … [Read more...]
