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...]
Five Reasons to Run ZOOMA Great Lakes
Disclaimer: I work for ZOOMA, so I am a bit biased, but I also think ZOOMA is pretty awesome. Credit to ZOOMA for most of the below pictures. The course is lovely. It's mostly on back roads, with decent shade and some nice views of the lake. There are rolling hills (my favorite!), but no huge hills to speak of. The resort grounds are spectacular. (I haven't been in the rooms, but they look nice on the website.) There several pools, a miniature golf course, and various other outdoor games and sports. There is also a boat rental where you can rent anything from kayaks to paddle boats to pontoon boats. Oh, and they have nightly bonfires! And there's been a short extension on the ZOOMA rates for the resort. Book your room at … [Read more...]
Running around the clock: is that BHAG enough for you?
Do you have a BHAG? Do you even know what a BHAG is? Today on Tuesdays on the Run, we are talking about goals. But not just any goal: Your Big Hairy Audacious Goal. I've been chasing my 50 states goal for a few years now. And I've made some pretty good progress: 38 states (and DC) done, 12 to go. Unfortunately, the majority of the remaining states are out west. Getting to them takes time and money that are currently being prioritized for other things. (Yes, Australia, I'm talking about you.) But there's another goal that's been running around in my head for a long time now: an Ultra. I'm ready to go beyond the marathon distance (or I was until I got injured.) But I'm not a trail runner and the thought of getting lost in the … [Read more...]
August Coffee Date: Pour me another, please!
It always amazes me how fast the months slip by. It's hard to believe I wrote my last "coffee date" post from New Zealand. We've been back 3 weeks and I still feel like I'm trying to catch up. Apparently, taking two full weeks off from life does not work well for me. Anyways, I’m joining up with my friends Deborah and Coco for a virtual coffee date as well as linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five 2.0. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I haven't made it to bed before 1am in over a week. And it's not like I'm sleeping in - I've gotten up in time to run at 6:30am a couple of days and I've had early commitments several days. I live for the few days I've gotten to sleep in, but … [Read more...]
Dear Running: I’d really like to become friends again
Another month gone, another month where my running has been sporadic. Today is the last day of the month and our Tuesdays on the Run tradition for the last day is to rate our month. I'd kind of like to give my month a big fat F. But, honestly, that would be me just being pissed at running. Most of my life has actually been going well. So let's chat... Let's start with the good... Running I ran my 76th half marathon and my 2nd international half marathon on the very first day of the month. It was not a great race for a lot of reasons, but I finished and I could still walk the next day. Definitely an A. I started training for my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. I'm a good bit behind on distance and don't plan to catch up, but I'm … [Read more...]
DuClaw All Along the Hop Tower Chicken Kabobs
Thank you DuClaw Brewing for sponsoring this post and sending me the DuClaw All Along the Hop Tower . All opinions and the marinade recipe are my own. Welcome to the July edition of “Cooking with Beer”! Each month DuClaw Brewing sends me a beer and a friend and I create a recipe. It’s a fun time to think outside the box and try a new beer and new food. This month’s beer is “All Along the Hop Tower”, a double IPA with a nice hop combination that is balanced by the higher alcohol. This month was a little unusual. In addition to the beer, DuClaw sent me a marinade to try. I definitely wanted to check that out, but I also wanted to create a recipe, so my partner in crime suggested we use the marinade AND make one of our … [Read more...]
Here we are, runfessing again
I swear it was just yesterday that I was runfessing about my lack of running in June and here we are in July and I'm still not running much. I must runfess that I have no real excuse not to run a lot of miles - my ankle/heel is probably 90% pain free and even more so when I massage it and foam roll. I've even done some icing lately after the few times I've run this month. I know, who am I? I must also runfess that we are now down to 93 days before the Marine Corps Marathon and the last double digit run I did was the half marathon in New Zealand on July 1. Between work, the weather, my son's econ class... I can't seem to get my runs in. I really need to start training. OK, even more than that, I really need to start caring about … [Read more...]
Add some ZING to your summer with OLD BAY Seasoning
This post was sponsored by OLD BAY. All opinions and recipes are my own. I've spent most of my adult life living within an easy drive of the Chesapeake Bay, where OLD BAY seasoning is a fixture in cooking. I can't remember a time when I didn't know what OLD BAY was. It's been a regular seasoning option for seafood for what seems like forever. I have a lot of fond memories of OLD BAY and beach weekends from college onward. It seemed like OLD BAY always brought us together for fun times and good food. But it's not just a seafood seasoning. When I asked my Facebook friends what they like to use OLD BAY on, one actually responded with "wouldn't the list be shorter if I just told you what I DON'T use it on?" OK, then. Suggestions … [Read more...]
My “undertrained” MCM training plan
I am currently 14 weeks out from my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. I've done Hal Higdon's training plan twice and attempted Hansons training plan twice. I say attempted because it's a really hard plan and I've never been able to hit all of the mileage at all the right paces. Last year was closer than the previous year and I went into the race feeling strong and ready and planning to gun for a PR. And completely fell apart at mile 16. I know some of that was the ridiculous heat and some was poor fueling choices on my part, but the race felt hard from the first step. And it never improved. The first mistake I made was not admitting it was not my day and slowing down after mile 2 or 3 or 4 or... (Mile 1 might lie, but you'd think I'd listen … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #76: Women’s Half Marathon in Auckland, New Zealand
Women's Half Marathon Auckland, New Zealand July 1, 2018 2:35:09 Temp: 40s-50s What I wore:hat, tank top, a ZOOMA half zip, a Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze Skirt, compression socks, and Altra One 2.5 When we first started planning our trip to New Zealand and Australia, I immediately began looking for races. I had a couple on my list and as it turned out, the Women's Half Marathon worked perfectly for our travel plan. What I didn't anticipate was my ankle injury and a beer festival. That's right - the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular was happening in Auckland the day before the race. There was no way Beer Geek was going to be missing out on that. My only hope was to moderate my drinking. I succeeded, sort of. Sunday … [Read more...]
Running on vacation is my favorite!
I guess you can tell from the title where I stand on today's Tuesdays on the Run topic of whether or not t0 run on vacation. I can't think of a vacation in the last 10 years that hasn't had at least one run - and most have more than one and at least one race. In fact, there was a time period not to long ago where even our family vacations revolved around whether I could find a race or not. That has become less of a priority, but I still try to get in a few runs on every vacation. How do I always manage to run on vacation? I pack for as many weather possibilities as I can - I always throw in compression socks and arm sleeves. These added layers can make it possible to run in unexpectedly cold weather, without taking up a lot of … [Read more...]
Favorite photos from Australia and New Zealand
I'm not gonna lie. Our vacation was AMAZING. But I've been home since Sunday and I'm still struggling to recover. The almost 16 hour flight from Sydney to Houston, coupled with the layover and then 3.5 hour flight from Houston to DC wore me out completely. Add in the fact that it's literally day and night difference in time (14 hour difference) and I've got the worst case of jetlag I've ever experienced. The first couple of days I also kept having issues with equilibrium. (You know how you feel the world is moving when you get off of a boat? I had that for about 36 hours after I got off the plane.) On the bright side, I've been waking up at 5:30am every morning, so I've gotten some early runs in. On the not so bright side, that means I've … [Read more...]
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