Apparently I only write coffee posts when I'm in Michigan. I guess my body is hard wired to wake up early, but the college kid has no interest in an early wakeup call. I'd run, but it's raining and I did not bring the right running clothes, so here I sit. I'm joining Deb and Coco for another coffee kick off. I'm actually hoping to join one or both for in person coffee soon now that outdoor weather is returning to the area. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I had the most AMAZING experience volunteering at the Boston Marathon. I've known for a long time that I will never qualify to run, so I set my sights on getting a chance to volunteer. It was everything I hoped for and more, from running into Brian Beckstead (one of the … [Read more...]
Kicking off 2020 with some new goals
Yes, I realize we are already more than a week into 2020. But mentally, with the way the holiday fell this year, it feels like 2020 started last Monday. So, I'm only a week behind in figuring life out. It's going to be an interesting year, with some things still very up in the air. Things like what schools my kids will be going to and what job my husband will be doing, but hey, my work is fairly stable and my injury is a minor soreness here and there, so I can plan MY life LOL. Running Add some races to my half marathon count. Last year I stalled out after managing 4 half marathons in the early part of the year. Between work and deciding to cheer as a unicorn, I had nothing in the fall. So far this year, I've signed up for 2 in May and … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #80: National Women’s Half Marathon
National Women's Half MarathonMay 5, 20192:26:57 Temp: low 60s and rainyWhat I wore:hat, tank top, a Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze Skirt, compression socks, and Altra One 2.5 I ran this race last year and enjoyed it, so when I got the chance to get the race for ~$40 for 2019, I jumped on it. But we've had a crazy rainy spring (like it's rained almost every weekend) and huge downpours were in the forecast. The race starts and ends in a not very convenient place, so I was less than thrilled with the forecast. I don't mind running in the rain, but I hate standing around in it and walking home in it. However, thanks to the rain preventing Beer Geek from going out on a bike ride, I was able to convince him to give me and a couple of … [Read more...]
Runfessions of the shortest month of the year
I have to admit that when I realized today was Runfession Friday, I freaked out a little. I mean, how could it be the end of the February already??? Thankfully we have almost a week left, so I'm not quite as far behind as I thought I was (I just finished sending my tax stuff to my accountant. Pretty sure that's going to be blood bath. Oh well.) So, it's not quite the end of the month, but I'll runfess with Marcia anyways. Because this is how my February has gone... I runfess that I've had a hard time actually committing to any races this spring. I even went so far as to sign up to volunteer for the Reston Half Marathon rather than run it. But last night I got bitten by the race bug and signed up for the local Four Courts race (OMG, … [Read more...]
Setting some S.M.A.R.T Goals for 2019
In 2018, I didn't sit down and come up with specific goals for the year. So, it should come as no surprise that I feel like I didn't really move forward in most areas of my life last year. I'm not disappointed about that as I spent most of the year trying to find a new balance between being a mom, working more, and still finding time to train. As we roll into 2019, I feel like I made some good progress on life management, so now I'd like to start moving forward again. To that end, I'm returning to the style of goal planning I used for several years before 2018. Running Run 5-10 "local" races. I know that in the spring I would like to run my favorite four mile race again, I'm going to try to get into the MCM 17.75K, I've already signed … [Read more...]
5 Tips for running in a foreign country
One of my favorite parts of traveling in a foreign country is to go for a run while we are there. It's a great way to combine getting some exercise with doing a bit of sightseeing. But not every location is conducive to a safe run and even those that are, requires some thought before hand. Culture, location, and distance all need to be considered before heading out on a run. Obviously, I'm assuming you already packed appropriate items for running and just need to figure out how and where. When we went to Ireland, I was not able to run much because the roads near where we were had no shoulders and no sidewalks. In New Zealand, I could have run easily in Rotorua and Auckland had a bike/run path right in city centre. In Australia, I was able … [Read more...]
Time for coffee with some friends
Coffee time! I don't often make it for a coffee date with friends these days, but I'm trying to be better about being social. So, I'm joining up with Deborah and Coco for a virtual coffee date. I managed to get a run in with Deborah recently and ran into Coco at an event, so I'm even doing some real life socializing! I’m also 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 went from no races to a huge number of races in a flash this spring. I didn't mean to, but somehow it just happened! Somehow I've run 17.75, a timed trail race, and two half marathon that I did not have on my race calendar. This weekend I'm finally running the Frederick Half Marathon - … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #73: Petersburg Half Marathon
Petersburg Half Marathon April 21, 2018 2:14:01 Temp: mid 40s to low 50s What I wore:hat, tank top, Reebok half zip, , a Skirt Sports Happy Girl, compression socks, and Altra One 2.5 Apparently the theme for this spring is "what the heck do I wear?" I was really torn on how many layers to wear and, in fact, changed my mind many times. At one point I had on a jacket and tights. Thankfully, I had the good sense to take some layers off and ended up dressed perfectly. The Petersburg Half Marathon is about 40 minutes south of Richmond and I happened to be in Richmond for the weekend to go to NASCAR (more on that another day.) Shoo and I were staying with one of his best buddies' family, so I was able to leave him with them and head … [Read more...]
Rating April: #oopsanotherrace
At the beginning of the year, I set up one big scary goal: Take each day as it comes. Roll with the punches and keep on moving forward with a smile on my face. I've struggled with accepting that. The planner in me wanted everything on paper (yes, I still use a bullet journal - writing things by hand works for me), but I have so many balls in the air that I had to pencil it all in. And I'm glad I did. Life had some ups and downs and twists and turns this month, but if it could not have worked out better if I'd planned it in January. The month started with some wacky weather that threw us all into a tizzy. I was going to run RNR Raleigh, but there were too many unknowns and Beer Geek cancelled his trip, so we all ended up staying … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #72: Runners Marathon of Restion
This past week was all kinds of crazy, thanks to the weather predictions. I got the bright idea last week to drive down to Raleigh with Shoo to run RNR Raleigh since Beer Geek and Jones were going on a trip. Well, the crazy weather canceled their trip (they were going on a road that doesn't get plowed - no one expected snow in April!) and I wasn't sure what the weather here was going to do, so I canceled my trip too. Instead of going out of town, I volunteered with Ragnar at the Cherry Blossom Festival. The high point of that was meeting Meb! I also got the bright idea to run a local half marathon instead. I'm trying to get my mileage up for my Ultra Ragnar in Pennsylvania in June and I've just been unmotivated to run long. This … [Read more...]
All my runfessions are “racefessions”
How are we nearing the end of March already? I feel like we have been in the middle of winter all month and now suddenly April is days away. Of course the fact that it has felt like winter for much of March this year might have something to do with it. As we roll into April, I've suddenly realized I have a big deal race coming up in mid-June - my first ultra Ragnar. My horrible lack of running this winter has me a bit panicked and played a part in my runfessions this month. I runfess that I'm running my first timed race. And it's a trail run. That will probably be muddy. Why yes, I am going out of my comfort zone. I signed up for the three hour option of the Rise Run Shine race. If I run more than 13.1 miles, it will count as another … [Read more...]
2018 Predictions: Certainties and Uncertainties
Here we are, two weeks into 2018, and I guess what? I have no idea what the year will bring. At this point in time, I've registered for 1! race - the Frederick Half Marathon. I've bought no plane tickets and made no travel plans. While I am far from a type A personality, I usually at least have things planned and I feel like most of my life, including my running, is like nailing down jello right now. Since the topic for today's Tuesdays on the Run is "2018 Predictions", I'm going to read the lines in my palm and tell you what I see (or something like that...) Things I see as definites: Somehow I WILL manage to run (or at least finish) the 2018 Marine Corps Marathon. I know that I have options to get in, so somehow I'll get in … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next Page »
