It's now been 2 months since races started getting canceled. Two months of not getting that motivation that races provide. Two months of missing the social interaction of running with (possibly 1000s) of your best runner friends. Naturally, runners are looking for something to fill that need. At the same time, organizations are trying to bring in income or fulfill the promise they made to provide a race or, unfortunately, take advantage of the situation. Yes, I've heard rumors of fake virtual races out there. So, here are my tips to have a successful virtual run. Choose a legit race. OK, maybe you didn't get a choice because the virtual is the option given to you for a canceled race. But if you are looking for a new race, there are … [Read more...]
Running safely in the days of Covid 19
If you've been around this blog for a while, you know that one of the main reasons I run is to combat depression. It helped me overcome postpartum depression and it has helped me many times in situational depression. If there was ever a time when situational depression would rear its ugly head, isolation due to Covid 19/coronavirus is that time. I am currently on day 19 of a minimum of 15 minutes a day running streak, in an attempt to keep from a downward slide. So, obviously I'm concerned with running without putting myself or others at risk. I live in a highly populated area. It's not quite like living downtown with all the high rises, but there are a lot of people in my area. Gone are the days when I'd go on a 10:30am run and see … [Read more...]
Keeping my sanity during the Covid-19 / coronavirus pandemic
AKA how I'm only losing my shit occasionally during the coronavirus pandemic. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not stressed and that I haven't had moments of panic or that I haven't yelled at my kids, but for the most part, I'm doing ok. But it's not just "luck" that I'm doing ok. I had to institute some things to take care of myself and make this situation bearable for me. My number one rule: Cut myself (and my family) some slack. My kids are doing online learning now. I can still work for two of my jobs. My house needs a spring cleaning. Yada yada yada. Bottomline is that there's plenty for me and them to do. Some days we get shit done. Some days we don't. And that's ok. I've started a run streak. I realized late last week that … [Read more...]
Tips for a successful long run in the summer
Every spring, my FOMO overrides my common sense and I end up signing up for the Marine Corps Marathon. It's kind of like having babies - you conveniently forget the bad parts and only remember that cute squishy baby you ended up with. This year, FOMO REALLY got the best of me and I ended up signing up for the Marine Corps 50K. Know what that means? It means I'm already up to 16 mile long runs. (For those playing along at home, I usually use Hansons Marathon Method, which means 16 miles is my longest marathon training run. Yeah.) So, for the first time in years, I'm running some really long runs during the hottest months of the year. Yes, we are talking 80+ degrees with matching humidity. Running when the air feels like you are breathing … [Read more...]
Move More, Sit Less: Keeping your heart healthy with exercise
Confession: I want to be that lady running races in her 90s. While I will totally admit to being a bit of a serial racer and a mileage addict, when I'm being completely honest, I run so that I can be healthy enough to run when I'm older. That's why I'm partnering with the American Heart Association to run their Lawyers' Have a Heart 10K. Since I'm training for a 50K right now, I will be running the Lawyers Have a Heart race in the middle of a long training run. We'll call that a tempo run with a long warm up and a long cool down. The location is perfect for me to run to the race, race, and run home. In addition to running a race with the American Heart Association, I'd like to share some of their tips on improving and … [Read more...]
How to put the ZING back in your relationship
Sometimes the excitement starts to wane. I mean we all get bored sometimes and start wondering if there's something better out there. But we all want to keep things exciting and today on Tuesdays on the Run, I'm going to tell you how. Read and learn. Cheat. Well, let's just start off with the big guns then. But seriously, if you are tired of running, do something else for a while. Take a class, join a gym, pull your old bike out of the garage. Nothing makes running more appealing than a little time away. Buy a new toy or a special outfit. I mean sometimes you gotta freshen things up. What better than something to make the activity a bit more fun - like a new Garmin. Or how about a new foam roller to liven things up? It's a … [Read more...]
Tips for preparing for running Ragnar on an ultra team
Last weekend I ran Ragnar PA on an ultra team. Generally speaking, an ultra team has 6 members and one van, as opposed to 12 members and two vans. This means that you are running twice as many miles and have no time as the "inactive van." As you might guess, this makes it an entirely different experience. To be honest, I loved it! I don't think I'll ever go back to a regular team. Before you can even prepare though, your team has to decide if everyone will be doing 6 runs or 3 LONG runs. While I can't say this would be the case for every location, for Pennsylvania (and DC) doing 3 long runs means you could very well be doing a half marathon or longer in the middle of the night and then be doing the same at noon. No thank you! I'd much … [Read more...]
Tips for getting back in the exercise habit
Yesterday I got a text from a good friend: Trisha and I met right after Shoo was born and immediately clicked. She was there as I worked off all of the baby pounds (and literally ran from postpartum depression). She rolled her eyes at me as I became addicted to races. She supported my crazy decision to run a marathon (and even offered to watch my kids so I could get my runs in.) So, it made me feel good that she reached out to me to help her get back in shape. I called her and shared all of the suggestions I could think of (because really she doesn't need to hire me, she just needs a cheerleader and I'll do that for free.) What I suggested: Find a time in your schedule that works for you - don't worry … [Read more...]
Confessions of a Treadmill Addict
That's right. Somehow over the last 3 months, I've run more miles on the treadmill than I have outside. And I've come to accept that. I've had a treadmill for 12 or so years. I don't remember exactly when we bought one, but it was sometime right before or after Shoo (who is now 12) was born. I know this because I remember putting him down for a nap on the bed next to the treadmill and running while he slept. That treadmill was my lifeline when he was little because he refused to nap in a stroller. (Jones, on the other hand, used to nap for HOURS as long as the stroller or the car was moving...) So, I'd drop Jones at preschool, get Shoo down for a nap, and run for as long as he'd sleep. But once the kids got older, I only used … [Read more...]
Tips for staying fit during the holiday season
Shoo turned to me recently and asked the date. When I told him it was the 6th, he turned to me and exclaimed "Mom, Christmas is less than 20 days away!" Yes, Dear Child, thank you for sending me into a panic. I immediately went online and ordered Christmas cards (from Cards Direct again because it was fast and easy) and put together the photo calendar I do each year (which necessitated staying up until midnight, which totally went against my recent "get more sleep" attempts.) This has definitely been a week where I'm juggling (not totally successfully) all.the.things. But other than the calendar night, I've been really good about two things - 1) going to bed even if things aren't "done", because really things are never totally done and 2) … [Read more...]
Don’t let winter freeze your motivation
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...]
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...]
