Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 7 - Maintain Fitness

ZOOMA Cape Cod training week 7 was my last week of summer vacation. My last week of morning runs. My last week running 5 days. My last week of morning #Surf classes at TI Fitness.

But it was also the beginning of maintaining all the fitness I've built up over the past month and a half. The beginning of maintaining the strength I've gained to run hills. The beginning of sustaining the endurance I've earned through all my hard work.

It was also the last week of the month and a perfect time to share some #MarvelousMonday moments:

Marvelous is hitting my all-time highest mileage in one month - 116 miles
Marvelous is passing the 3000 mile mark using my Nike+ running gear

Monday - 5 hilly miles and SurfSet with mrC.

Tuesday - 3.5 miles. Met up with the GHS XC team for a very easy morning run. Wasn't expecting the pace to be so comfortable, but bringing up the rear probably had a lot of benefits when my legs were creeping up on 100 miles for the month!

Wednesday - 4 hilly miles and SurfnTurf with mrC. barre3 anywhere: core, arms + legs 10 minute video workout.

Thursday - Cross train --> done on Monday & Wednesday! barre3 anywhere: total body 10 minute video workout.

Friday - 4 hilly miles on the same route as Wednesday. Part of this run is a gravel road and my calves did not like it one bit. Felt good on the hills though. Travel-Friendly barre3: Total-body endurance 10 minute video workout.

Saturday - 11 miles on the Goffstown Trail with mrC. We started this run in the fog and ended under sunny blue skies. I'm afraid my tight calf has led to some twinges of a shin splint, so I'll be applying treatments for a few days: ice, compression, and active rest.

Sunday - Rest


What part of your fitness are you maintaining? 
Share something MARVELOUS with me!

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 6 - Testing Limits

How do I test my limits? Run 10 miles solo.

I've been taking advantage of summer break and doing my long runs on Friday mornings so that my weekend time is a little more open. Most of the local group runs are on Saturdays/Sundays and mrC has had more Friday trips lately, so it's just me.

How do I test my limits? Choose a hilly route for my long run.

Last time I ran my long run on a local trail. I was planning to do it again, but it was a little creepy running secluded by myself. Option #2 was to run from home which meant a hilly route with one big hill right in the middle. I went for it since, ZOOMA Cape Cod has hills!

Sunday - 4 mile run just before daylight so I had to dig out the reflective gear.

Monday - 7 mile run in Newport where there are in fact, HILLS! Later we went kayaking in Newport Harbor and it was a killer arm workout.

Tuesday - 4 mile run around the base mostly along a running trail. Then a bike ride along Ocean Drive and Bellevue Ave with gorgeous water views and mansions galore!

Wednesday - Rest day!

Thursday - 4 mile run with mrC. It was cool and cloudy which made this run feel nice and easy.

Friday - Ran my 10 mile long run alone again. Even though I hated the idea of going solo, I did it. I kept my pace comfortable and felt good the whole time. I had to walk part of the killer hill in town, but felt really good overall. Lots of foam rolling, stretching, and compression gear the rest of the day.

Saturday - Cross training at SurfSet!

How do you test your limits?

Packing Fitness Fun in Newport

We usually spend multiple weekends in Newport, but this busy summer had us going during the week. When visiting the city by the sea, one thing I love to do is pack fitness into our days. So in addition to the traditional activities we've become accustomed to, we also tried some new ones.

Before heading out of town, I packed my bags with everything I would need for our fitness fun. My Athleta swimsuit did double duty at the beach (w/ JCrew cover-up) and kayaking (w/ Athleta shorts & Corey Vines racerback). My favorite Old Navy shorts and tank with my BR sweater kept me comfortable on the boat. Oiselle, Athleta, Nike and Mizuno completed my run outfits.

First we met some of my in-laws for an afternoon of sailing and motor boating. This requires absolutely no work from me (other than carrying the boat bag), but my sunrise run completed first thing in the morning allowed me to remain guilt-free while mrC worked the boat.

Every October, Newport hosts a marathon, half marathon, and 5K. This year mrC and I will be running the half marathon, so when planning where to run our 7 miler it only seemed natural to run along the marathon course that ends at Second Beach. It's a hilly route, but the gorgeous ocean views and dream homes help take our minds off the inclines. It's also delightful to relax on the beach afterwards.

The map below is from RunGo, an app that gives you turn by turn directions using GPS. Since I don't wear earbuds (just a wrist wallet from Sprigs) I missed the call out for a horse shoe turn after the turn-around and the app didn't really respond well. Trust me, I cannot run across water!

I see people kayaking in Newport all the time and this summer I decided to try it. Although I was feeling brave, I wasn't brave enough to take out my own kayak. Two things worried me: boats making wake and tipping me over and jellyfish. So mrC and I rented a two person kayak. Once we were in the kayak and moving, I mostly forgot about my fears and focused on keeping my arms moving. Five minutes in and I was tired! It was an intense upper body workout, but super fun.

One of our favorite places to run is right on the base. There is an unpaved, mostly flat path that loops the base offering awesome views of the Narragansett Bay and Pell Bridge. I tried to map out a 4 mile loop using the RunGo app, but the app closed when I hit save (and of course it didn't save the route).

You can't visit Newport without taking the 10 mile drive. Instead of driving, we took a bike ride along Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue. The roads are bike friendly and there are oodles of places to stop and explore. I don't know why we didn't do it sooner!

We always love taking road trips to Newport, but this visit was just about perfect. Between the beautiful weather, the gorgeous views, and the fun fitness activities, we didn't want to leave!

Do you have a favorite road-trip destination?

How to Run on Air

Running on air.

That is exactly how it felt when I ran on the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill at Sport & Spine Physical Therapy, Inc. in Portsmouth, New Hampshire last week.

I climbed into the neoprene shorts, stepped on what felt like any other treadmill, and zipped myself into the pressurized air chamber made with technology straight from NASA. These shorts were provided, but clients who frequently use the AlterG often purchase their own.

In front of me the control panel had the familiar buttons of my own treadmill at home; display options, speed, incline, but on one side additional plus and minus buttons allowed me to adjust my body weight in 1% increments.

Dr. Chris Campbell, physical therapist and owner of Sport & Spine Physical Therapy, pressed the start button and the chamber began to fill with air while the machine lifted me up to my tiptoes as it calibrated my body weight.

In a matter of seconds of pushing the button to reduce my body weight to just 20%, I was ready to run as effortlessly as when I was a young soccer player dashing around the field. But that's not all this machine can do. In the stationary position you can easily do painless squats and jumps. It also has a reverse mode.

Originally designed for NASA by engineer Robert Whalen to maintain astronaut fitness, the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill became a commercialized prototype in 2005 after Robert's son Sean, an engineering student at the time, reached out to Alberto Salazar, coach to the elite Nike runners, for feedback. After fine-tuning the machine, the first AlterG was sold to a pro basketball team and Nike made a purchase of six. Manufactured in the USA, AlterG is now classified as a medical device and used in more than 1000 facilities for low impact patient rehabilitation, weight loss, and athletes training through injuries.

Recreational and competitive athletes can also use the AlterG to supplement training without risk of stress related injuries. In fact at Sport & Spine Physical Therapy, it can be rented in 30 minute workout sessions for $15 or less if you purchase a punch card.

If there was an AlterG in the Manchester area, I would consider using it to replace those days when I would have sat out because of pain in my calf or hamstring.


Would you use the AlterG as part of your training?

Special thanks to Outside PR for setting up my demo at Sport & Spine Physical Therapy, Inc. and to Dr. Chris Campbell for his time and expertise.

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 5 - Speed Sharpening

When I read the description from the coach program on my Nike app for week 5 of my half marathon training, I chuckled. Speed? Me? Right! Then I thought, what the heck? It's worth paying at least a little attention to the suggested workouts.

During my long run at the end of the week, I realized that I am feeling stronger. Although I wouldn't say I'm speedy, I am happy with the way I feel on my the longer runs.

Sunday - 4 mile run along the Burlington waterfront with mrC. First 3 miles at an easy pace and faster last mile - I did mile 4 at 8:55 (yay).

Monday - 7 mile run with MRTT group (of two!). It was supposed to be a 5 mile fartlek run, but I forgot! I did do the last 3 miles faster than the first 4 and that's where the hills were!

Tuesday - Since I messed up the fartlek on Monday, I figured 3 miles at Track Party Tuesday would make up a little of it.  The party turned out to be just me, but I did my "speed work" anyway. 1 mile WU, 4x200s, and 1 mile CD.

Wednesday - Rest - AlterG Demo (review coming soon!)

Thursday - 4 miles from home. I did the first three miles at a comfortable pace and the last one fastest.

Friday - I was nervous about doing my long run alone and on a trail, but this run turned out much better than I thought it would. I kept my pace mostly in the 930-945 range, and saved my speediest mile for last at 920!

Saturday - Rest - Did a little cross training at SurfSet with mrC. Because of busy schedules and being out of town, I hadn't been to class in over a week, and it felt really hard! I still love the total body workout though.

I'm feeling good about starting week 6, especially since I'll be doing it in Newport!

What are you training for? How is it going?