From a training standpoint, last week was a week of highs and lows. I made the mistake of running my recovery runs to fast plus stress levels were high here as the boys were starting school. This resulted in a total failure of my 1.5 mile repeats on Tuesday. I just could not hold my goal pace. I know a big piece was mental, because the run didn't feel hard, it just seemed hard. And I couldn't make myself complete it. I could have beaten myself up about it, but I just wrote it off. Sometimes you just can't handle life and running at the same time. Wednesday I managed an easy 5 miles in the misty rain. My hip had been bothering me off and on since Monday, but between stretching and my Addaday stick, I was able to run without pain. I … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon Training: Almost halfway
I can't believe I am entering week 9 of Marine Corps Marathon training! Usually by this point, I'm starting to struggle with burnout and am desperate for fall weather. This has been such a crazy summer that instead, I'm finding myself actually almost back on my training plan and ready to buckle down and get it done. Last week was the first week in about a month where I actually ran every run on my training plan. I'm not going to lie - I didn't run every run exactly as planned. Life was just too busy and there was no way I could jump from a low 20s week up to a 40 mile week. So, here's what went down... Monday - Plan: 6 easy miles. Actual: 6 easy miles. Woot! Tuesday - Plan: warm up, 6x800 at 5k/10k pace, cool down. Actual: warm up, … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon Training: Back on the Wagon
A few weeks ago, I was doing a great job of following the Hansons beginner plan. "Beginner" seems a bit of a misnomer as it's a challenging plan compared to most beginner plans. While the long run tops out at 16 miles, the overall mileage each week is similar to some of Hal Higdon's advanced plans. Anyways, things were going well and then we headed on vacation. Even worse, I caught that awful bug that sapped my energy more than the first trimester of pregnancy. (Between the unsettled stomach and the exhaustion, I would have been freaking out, except Beer Geek was feeling just like I was.) While we were on vacation, we did a lot of hiking and walking, but it wasn't until close to the end that I tried to run. I managed a 3 mile run in … [Read more...]
How I plan to stay fit this summer
Confession: I hate summer. OK, let me be more specific - I hate Virginia summers. They are hot and they are humid. I swear I get reverse SAD and get depressed and never want to leave my house. Seriously, I've had a few summer months when I've barely run at all. With Ragnar and Marine Corps Marathon coming up in early fall, I need to get my act together this summer. I'm going to "Run This Town". One of my fellow Skirt Sports ambassadors decided she wanted to run all of the streets in her town and a few others of us have jumped on the bandwagon. Beer Geek has biked many of the streets in our "town" and thinks I'm crazy, but I'm going to do it anyways. I doubt I'll ever finish (and there are roads that can't be run on), but I'm going … [Read more...]
Five things I’m happy about this Friday
This has been a crazy long week. It was my kids' first week of summer and I'm struggling to get into a routine. I did manage to get a bit more sleep than usual, so that's good. This weekend is a long weekend, so I'm going to soak up all the fun and rest that I can before I'll be driving the kids all over the DC Metro area for camps. Here are some things I'm excited about this weekend... SALE! Skirt Sports is having their semi-annual sale. The prices are AMAZING. I think I left a few things for you. (No discount codes will work on the sale items, but the prices are good enough to not need a code. Also, because it's the end of season clearance, sizes and styles are limited.) Speaking of Skirt Sports and owning all the skirts... … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon: Training with Hansons
Thank you to Bob's Red Mill and Fit Approach for sponsoring this post. Here we go again: time to kick off training for the Marine Corps Marathon. And Virginia has been doing her best to remind me why I always say I'm done with fall marathons. I mean, who likes to run in 90% humidity? I looked like I'd gone for a swim! But, I ran 17.75 just to get into the Marine Corps Marathon, so you know I won't be dropping now. So, I've cracked open my trusty Hansons Marathon Method book and placed my runs on the calendar. For those who are curious, I've put both the Advanced and the Beginner versions on my calendar. I aspire to complete the Advanced, but I'm a realist and acknowledge the fact that sometimes I get lazy and other times life … [Read more...]
NordicTrack Commercial 1750 Treadmill Review
I was provided the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion in this sponsored post. Earlier this spring, I was fortunate to receive a new NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill. I had been without a treadmill for a couple of months and was absolutely ready to get a new one. I had been doing a bunch of research and this treadmill was definitely in the top choices in the price range I was considering. So, when I was offered this one, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been running on the NordicTrack Commercial treadmill (as has Beer Geek) now for a few months. There was a bit of a learning curve at first to figure out all of the features, but now we are best friends (ok, I'm still learning all the bells … [Read more...]
Jumping back on the Hansons Marathon Method plan
Have you ever sat down at your calendar and gone "OMG, how is it that I only have 6 weeks left to train?" No? I mean, I'm notorious for running the random half marathon undertrained and I ran Marine Corps with a 5 week taper last fall, but I've ALWAYS done major training for the Mainly Marathons Series that I've done. Yet, here I sit, 6 weeks out from the start of 7 half marathons in 7 days and this is the first week in ages I've run more than 3 times in a week. Oops. Thanks to RNR DC, UC Charlotte half, and tomorrow's 17.75 race, I feel like I've got the ability to cover a half marathon again. So, now it's time to get back on track with back to back runs and mileage building. It occurred to me that perhaps I should have a plan, so I'm … [Read more...]
