MCM Mama Runs

MCM Mama Runs for Beer and Bling

  • Home
  • About MCM Mama
  • Racing the U.S.A.
  • Tuesdays on the Run
  • VA/MD/DC Blogs
  • I Heart Craft Beer
  • Disclosure

VA Momentum Growler Relay Race Recap

November 5, 2017 by MCM Mama 13 Comments

VA Momentum Growler Relay Race Recap

This weekend I joined some other Ragnar Ambassadors to run a local relay. Instead of 12 runners, two vans, and 200 miles, it was 8 runners running from one brewery to another and back. What could be better than a day spent with running with friends, followed by a party at a brewery. Not much.   During the week leading up to the race, one of our runners let us know that he had to drop due to a family issue. Thankfully, a quick post on MRTT netted me a new runner for the group. (I swear I don't know what I'd do without MRTT. So often they come to the rescue.) So, with crisis averted, we worked out our logistics. While it is possible to do this event with two cars and have one "active" vehicle, we decided to all pile into my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, relay, VA Momentum

Some things I must runfess…

September 29, 2017 by MCM Mama 12 Comments

Some things I must runfess…

Here we are at the end of September, ready once again to head to the Runfessional. I have apparently run out of motivation before I've run out of training plan. This week was supposed to be a peak mileage week, but between the exhaustion from Ragnar, the remnants of my cold. and TWO Back to School nights, I've had a hard time even getting out the door. Heck, one day I didn't even get out the door - I ran on the treadmill because it took less thought and effort. *** But I did get out for a 10 mile run on Thursday! Which was totally awesome, until it wasn't. I had a slow warm up mile (mostly due to traffic lights) and then ran by feel for 5 miles. I hit within a few seconds of 10:30 pace each mile without checking my Garmin. What?!? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: marathon training, Marine Corps Marathon, ragnar

The weekend I ran all the miles

September 24, 2017 by MCM Mama 9 Comments

The weekend I ran all the miles

Sometimes I intentionally make crazy choices. Sometimes crazy choices find me. This weekend was a case of the latter happening. Back in December, Pacers Running offered an amazing discount if you signed up for 5 races at once. Since they are my local running store and race company, I often run their races. I decided to make the GW Parkway 10 miler my spring goal race and chose 4 other races to run. One of those four was the Clarendon Day Double - a 5k + a 10k with a mile uphill walk in between. Flash forward to September. I realized a couple of weeks ago that Clarendon Day fell on the Sunday after Ragnar DC. Oops? So, I had a lot on my plate for the weekend. I'll do a full Ragnar DC recap in a few days, but short story - I had … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: Clarendon Day, race recap, ragnar, Ragnar DC

5 Stages of Ragnar Relay Packing

September 21, 2017 by MCM Mama 1 Comment

5 Stages of Ragnar Relay Packing

Packing for Ragnar is an art not a science, but I go through the same 5 stages every single time. 1. Panic! You don't know where every thing is, you need to do a load of laundry, and you don't know what you want to wear. This stage is often the longest stage as you throw laundry in the wash and buy a bunch of items via Amazon Prime. Sometimes this stage lasts days. It's ok. You'll get through it. 2. Gathering The gathering phase is the one where you fold all that laundry and find all the random items that have wandered away since your last Ragnar Relay. You also obsessively check your Amazon orders to see when they will be delivered. During this phase, your "staging site" becomes a mound of running clothes, lights, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, Ragnar DC

Tips for Captaining a Ragnar Team

September 14, 2017 by MCM Mama 6 Comments

Tips for Captaining a Ragnar Team

So, you're going to run a Ragnar Relay. It might be your first time, but it might not. But someone has convinced you that you should be the captain. Or maybe you were crazy enough to want that responsibility. Whatever. The end result is that you are now the Captain of a team that will be running Ragnar soon. Go read the Bible. Now. OK, by Bible, I mean Race Bible. This is a document put out by Ragnar that has most of what you need to know. Then check out Blognar and the Ragnar website for all sorts of useful information about being a captain and about your particular Ragnar Relay. Now you're ready for my tips. I'm sharing 5 things that will make your experience a better one.   Don't put yourself on the financial … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, tips

Ragnar Trail Richmond Recap #RagnarTrailRVA

May 10, 2017 by MCM Mama 2 Comments

Ragnar Trail Richmond Recap #RagnarTrailRVA

A few weekends ago, I ran Ragnar Trail Richmond on Team No Beer Left Behind. It was a mix of members from my Mad Fox 12 pack team and a few spouses and college friends. It was an incredibly fun experience, but it's taken me nearly two weeks to recover! Our adventure started when two of our teammates went down Thursday to grab a camping spot for us. They chose a nice spot and set up a couple of tents and a canopy. Luckily, they also had their RV because there ended up being a big thunderstorm that night (which would lead to a few muddy spots once the running started.) The rest of us headed down on Friday morning with two cars full of gear and snacks. We made good time and had no problem with gear drop. Our camp site was quite close … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, Ragnar Trail Richmond, trail

Ragnar Relay and Scott James Jewelry

April 20, 2017 by MCM Mama Leave a Comment

Ragnar Relay and Scott James Jewelry

I know those seem like a random combination, but really they are related. ;o)  I recently got chosen to be a Scott James Jewelry Ambassador. I love their stuff and have quite a collection of charms. I received a necklace a few years back that I used to commemorate my journey to Venus and I've also bought a few Ragnar charms.  As I gear up to run Ragnar Trail Richmond, I've already picked out the charms I plan to get afterwards (see I told you the two topics were related.) Speaking of Ragnar, another ambassador and I hosted a Ragnar event at Mad Fox Brewpub last night. It was a lot of fun and we had several new to Ragnar people there asking questions. Having run Ragnar DC twice, I had plenty of advice - most of which boiled … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, Ragnar DC, Ragnar Trail Richmond, Scott James

Ragnar DC 2016 Recap: Mad Fox 12 Pack

September 22, 2016 by MCM Mama 4 Comments

Ragnar DC 2016 Recap: Mad Fox 12 Pack

Once again Ragnar DC did not disappoint. I did not plan to run Ragnar DC this year as the date is right at the beginning of the school year and just a couple of weeks before a conference I attend for work. But when my friend asked me to help captain a team for Mad Fox Brewpub, I couldn't resist. I mean, beer and running. What could be better? This was my first time captaining but I have a lot of friends who've done it, so it went pretty smoothly. We did have a little excitement when our first start time was 1:45, which would mean a midnight finish. Oops. Thankfully, Ragnar fixed that so we started at 8:45am. We also lost one runner about two weeks ago, but were able to replace her quickly. And then I got a text from a runner … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, Ragnar DC, relay

Five tips for a fun Ragnar

September 15, 2016 by MCM Mama 9 Comments

Five tips for a fun Ragnar

I love to run Ragnar! Unlike marathons, which I seem to find myself accidentally signed up for, Ragnar is something I love to do. In fact, eventually, I'd like to run every Ragnar out there (but no, I won't be that person who runs them all in one year LOL. I'm packed and mostly ready to go. Just need to get some sleep and then we'll pack the van in the morning. All of my outfits are in their individual plastic bags (one of the best tips ever!) and I've just got a few last minute things to add in the morning. So here are five tips to make sure Ragnar goes smoothly and is a lot of fun! Upload the pace calculator to Google Drive. This allows you to easily edit it and lets the other van know if the team is getting ahead of or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, Ragnar DC, tips

Preparing to run Ragnar DC again

September 11, 2016 by MCM Mama 14 Comments

Preparing to run Ragnar DC again

I ran my first Ragnar Relay at the Ragnar DC two years ago. It was an amazingly fun experience and I couldn't wait to run one again. We got lucky and our team won a free entry into Ragnar Cape Cod the following spring. I was afraid going in that it wouldn't be as much fun as the first one. After all, the bar had been set pretty high. Ragnar Cape Cod was amazing. I loved the course, my team was amazing, and Beer Geek and I followed up with a week exploring the area. I knew I'd run Ragnar again, but wasn't sure when or more importantly, where. After all, I love to travel and run in new places. I almost ran DC again last year, but life intervened (thank goodness, it was cold and rainy most of the race.) And with going for Mercury … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: ragnar, Ragnar DC, relay

Runfession is good for the soul

August 26, 2016 by MCM Mama 15 Comments

Runfession is good for the soul

TGIF. This has been a busy week and I'm tired. Thursday was my birthday and it was an ok day (not amazing, but acceptable), until the end of the day. Then I happened to notice that the bubbles from Shoo's bubble bath were coming out of our basement toilet. I'm pretty sure that's not a good sign. I'm hoping that when the plumber shows up it's not a big clog, but I'm mentally prepared for it to be a big deal. Sigh. So, let's get on with some runfessions... I've been using Hansons Marathon Method to train for Marine Corps Marathon. In theory, at least. I haven't hit a full week of training in over a month. And speed work? I don't even know what that is anymore. On Sunday, I finished my goal of 23 half marathons in 23 states in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: running Tagged With: Marine Corps Marathon, ragnar, runfessions

It’s a perfect day for a coffee date!

October 3, 2015 by MCM Mama 16 Comments

It’s a perfect day for a coffee date!

Happy Saturday! I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee, wondering if there is actually enough coffee in the world to get me through the day.  It feels like it's been raining for years. I know it hasn't and I know we need at least some of this rain, but I don't do well with multiple grey and wet days in a row. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah, Coco, and Lynda for a virtual coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that instead of running Ragnar Relay, I spent my evening in my nice warm house drinking a pumpkin beer and baking for a recipe post on Monday. While I was a little (tiny) bit sad not to be out with my team, beer and donuts are not such a bad way to spend an evening. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: cooking with beer, Marine Corps Marathon, ragnar, volunteering, Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

New_Holland_podium

Who is MCM Mama?
A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath.

Get email updates!

Sign up to get new blog posts sent to your inbox!

Recent Posts

  • February Runfessions: The Longest Short Month Ever
  • Throwing back to ZOOMA Bermuda
  • January Runfessions: Month 13 of 2020
  • Kicking Off 2021 with a Big Ole Cup of Coffee
  • Last Coffee Date of 2020
  • Seed Probiotics: a science based approach
  • November definitely needs more coffee
  • October Visit to the Runfessional: Exhaustion

Like Us On Facebook

Archives

Virginia Bloggers Badge
Vote For Us @ Top Mommy Blogs
The DC Ladies
​

A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath. Read More…

February Runfessions: The Longest Short Month Ever

February Runfessions: The Longest Short Month Ever

You know how short weeks at work often feel longer than a normal week, just because you still need to do the same amount of work in fewer days? Well, February always feels that way for me and this February was no exception. It’s been… a month. I’m joining Marcia to runfess my sins (and […]

Copyright © 2021 · MCM Mama Runs on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in