Confession: I love cold weather and I'd much rather run when I need a jacket, hat, and gloves than when it's crazy hot and humid. But I still lose motivation to get out there and run when it's cold out. I mean, I love it as soon as I get going, but taking that step from the warm house into the cold outside it so hard. Add in the fact that winter has seemed very grey here the last few years and you find me wanting to sit in a warm spot with a bright light on reading a book. But we all know that getting moving goes a long ways towards fighting the "blahs" that come with less sunlight during the winter. Remember your "why" - It doesn't necessarily have to be your "why" for running, just your "why" for this particular run. Perhaps … [Read more...]
Sometimes the most challenging part of running is…
... actually giving a damn about training. There. I said it. I didn't train well (or at all) for MCM because my heart just wasn't in it. This will be my 6th marathon and my 3rd MCM. I know how to train for a marathon. I even know how to train for a marathon through the Virginia summer. In fact, not only do I know HOW to do it, I've actually done it. Twice. So, let's talk about the most challenging thing about running for me right now. That's the topic of today's Tuesdays on the Run. Not that you'd know that because I totally didn't put the month of September on the linkup page. Sorry. Apparently I'm all around unmotivated right now. And there it is folks - my challenge with running, with life, with my weight is my lack of … [Read more...]
Five inspirational women
I'm an ambassador for 261 Fearless. Each month we are given a topic to write about and this month the topic is inspiring women. There are plenty of famous women I could list, from athletes to leaders in education to government leaders, but I'd rather give some love to some of the awesome women in my life. It was hard to narrow down my list, but here are five women who inspire me to keep moving on a daily basis. My mom - My mom isn't a runner, but she can walk faster than some women can run. She's also my rock. She's always there when one of us needs her, no matter how often we seem to be begging for help. She's also an amazing cook and gardner and helped foster my love for all things vegetable. My friend Deb - I've mentioned … [Read more...]
Holiday Fitness Challenges
I believe in embracing the holidays. I believe in indulging myself during the holidays. You won't see tips here about how not to overeat at a party or how to avoid holiday weight gain. Nope. Don't get me wrong - I don't change my generally healthy eating habits and I don't treat every event as a party (and we keep our events to a reasonable number at the holidays.) I just allow myself to enjoy the tasty treats and drinks at those parties we do choose to go to. Instead of policing my eating at events, I maintain my water intake, eat extra veggies when I'm at home, and try to move more. To that end, I am participating in a number of fitness challenges this holiday season. First, I am joining Another Mother Runner's Stride Through … [Read more...]
I don’t wanna
I'm pretty sure every mom has heard that phrase at least once in their lives, usually from their 2 year old who's refusing something like putting on shoes or eating their breakfast. Some kids go through a phase where that's their response to pretty much everything, even good things. Today, my inner two year old was loud and clear: I don't wanna. I need to work. I don't wanna. I need to run. I don't wanna. I need to go grocery shopping. I don't wanna. Apparently my inner two year old wanted to just sit and do nothing and drink coffee. (What can I say? My inner two year old has sophisticated tastes...) I told myself that this month I don't have to run if I don't want to. But, that doesn't mean I can sit on my butt and … [Read more...]
