Does this count as bling? No? OK, well having just survived the installation of the new cabinets, etc., it's one of the best rewards I've gotten this year. I still have a lot of painting to do and then I need to refinish the floors, but it's a huge improvement over a week ago. Yes, you read that right. It took one week. But let's talk race bling instead. This year was a bit on the "light" side. I "only" ran 1 marathon, 6 half marathons, an ultra Ragnar, my first timed trail race, and a handful of other random races. I didn't get any new states in 2018, but I did get a new country - New Zealand. Despite being a bit on the light side, I got some pretty cool medals. 2018 half marathon medals... All of my … [Read more...]
When Black Friday takes you down a rabbit hole
On Black Friday, I bought a stove. Not just any stove - a normal sized stove. Which means it did not fit in my kitchen. So, my kitchen is currently completely ripped out, waiting for the new cabinets that will fit around the new stove. As you might imagine, I'm a little bit focused on that right now and if I were to right a "gifts" post as is our current topic, I'd probably write about things like sinks and counter tops. Instead, I'm totally copping out and referring you to the posts I've written in the past. I promise if I survive this renovation, I'll be back focused on running again. As it is, I'll be cramming in one measly mile this evening. Here are my best suggestions for gifts (other than to just go buy everything off of Skirt … [Read more...]
So, how’d November treat you?
My November was a nice respite after the craziness that was September and October. Don't get me wrong. I love working for ZOOMA and going to each of the races is a high point of the job, but between my travel schedule, Beer Geek's travel schedule, and the Marine Corps Marathon, I was ready for a quieter month. And since I spent the first half of the month recovering from running a marathon way undertrained, I was happy to have a quiet month. I wasn't even jealous that Beer Geek went to Germany for a week for work and I couldn't go with him. That's not to say I didn't have any thing going on. Some highlights from the month: My parents came to visit and we did a whole bunch of projects on the house that needed doing. After living in … [Read more...]
Race Day Mistakes: This is What You Should Not Do
Growing up, one of my favorite books was Berenstain Bears "The Bike Lesson". The whole book is about the father making mistakes when teaching them to ride a bike and then telling them that "This is what you should not do. Let this be a lesson to you." Let me be your Bike Lesson. This is what you should not do... Overdress - yes, it often feels chilly waiting at the start line. And no one wants to get the shivers. But wearing too much can quickly lead to overheating if it's actually warm out or getting sweaty and then freezing if it's not. Most suggest dressing like it's 20* warmer than it is. I have to be careful about that as I tend to run cold. SOLUTION: Throwaway clothes. My personal favorite is a zip up hoody, usually … [Read more...]
Will run for food!
Does the food available after a race come into play when you are choosing a race or are you happy with a boring snack like a granola bar or pretzels after a race? For me, it depends on exactly how far I've run. For shorter races, I don't need anything at all, but sometimes something salty is good on a hot day. Even for a half marathon, I often don't feel any urge to eat at the finish line. But sometimes the offerings are so good, I eat even if I don't "want to". Wondering what races have make me want to run them again just for the food? Here are my favorites. Mainly Marathon races - the "aid station" is a smorgasbord of all the good things: pretzels, m&ms, gummy bears, hard boiled eggs, pb&j, pickles... And then there's … [Read more...]
Race views and ZOOMA challenges
Today's topic for Tuesdays on the Run is "Best things seen at a race". I've seen some pretty amusing things: guys running only in thongs, jogglers, dribblers (literally a guy dribbling a basket ball the whole race), awesome costumes, awful costumes, etc. But, despite running with my phone, I pretty much never take pictures and I have the memory of a gnat, so I leave you with this... Moving right along.. Here are our upcoming topics: 10/23 – Standout Post-Race Food 10/30 – Halloween! 11/6 – Racing Mistakes 11/13 – The Best City I Ever Ran In Is… 11/20 – Black Friday And October 16 at 10am EST, ZOOMA opens its winter challenges. You can join us for the Holiday Challenge - a movement and self care challenge for … [Read more...]
If you give a runner $1000, she’s gonna buy…
an entry into her first ultra. And if she enters into an ultra, she's gonna need to buy a new GPS watch. And if she buys a new GPS watch, she's going to want a race to try it out. And if she's going to run a race, she's going to need a new skirt to run in. And if she gets a new skirt to run in, she'll definitely need some new shoes. And if she gets some new shoes, she'll have to get some socks to match. And that's how a runner spends $1000 in a hot minute... How would you spend $1000 on running if you had a financial windfall? … [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...]
Race all the miles. Travel all the places.
This fall is looking a little crazy. In fact, I may have bitten off more than I can chew - especially considering I'm still babying my ankle a bit. But today on Tuesdays on the Run we are talking fall plans, so I'm going to put it all down "on paper" for the first time. I'm actually kind of scared right about what it's going to look like. Admittedly, some of the races I won't actually be running... September 15 - ZOOMA Great Lakes - my race season kicks off with me not actually running. I'll need to sneak in a few miles though, so hopefully I can enjoy some of the beautiful course after the runners are done. September 22 - Clarendon Day 5K + 10K - I love this local race. If you do the "Clarendon Day Double", you run a 5K down … [Read more...]
This is 48: wrapping up a year
This past weekend, I turned 48. As I get closer and closer to a new big round number, I keep thinking I'll start freaking out about getting old. But I feel better at 48 than I did at 47 (well, except for that pesky ankle/heel issue.) Last year at this time, I was deep in Marine Corps Marathon training with the Hansons plan. I was also recovering from what had been a month long virus - it started with several days of violent stomach upset that led to weeks of reduced appetite and lack of energy. While I would not recommend that weight loss method (I dropped 7 pounds in 7 days and it stayed off), it was the first time in years that I was not packing on extra marathon pounds. It was also the first time in years that my weight had not … [Read more...]
The summer where no running goals were met
This has been an interesting year for me so far. In some ways it was super planned (our trip to Australia and New Zealand) and some ways it's been completely a "roll with the punches" year. I'm still dealing with the hail damaged rental car, my kitchen is still not started, and Monday I worked 4 different gigs. (I won't be doing that again, see below for what I'm letting go.) But the weirdest part of the whole summer is that I had no real running goals. Well, except to actually start running again, so I guess I nailed that. End of post. No? Ok, here were my goals for the year with updates on where life is. Running Continue running injury free. Ooh, I completely blew this one. I still can't run too many days in a row without my … [Read more...]
How running took me from depression to a new career
For many years, if you asked me, I would say running was my anti-depressant. And it was (and still is to some extent) a big part of my mental health. But in so many ways, running has changed me AND its role in my life has changed over the years. Since our Tuesdays on the Run topic is "how has running changed me", I'm going to chronicle my relationship with running through my 6 word running memoir. 1. Running off the beer and wine. Yeah, that was my college running. It was all about running on the weekdays so I could drink what I wanted on the weekends. It sort of worked LOL. 2. Running to wear my skinny clothes. Once I was out in the real world, I just wanted to stay in my small suits. I liked the way I looked and I ran purely to … [Read more...]
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