#CheerBoston from Dubai

It's Marathon Monday and I'm super EXCITED to support my #BostonStrong runners today via the BAA LIVE stream.

Last night mrC and I went back to the Dubai Mall for some dinner on the Waterfront and to see the famous Dubai Fountain Show. We had dinner at Carluccio's, right on the promenade and watched the first 3 minute show while having dinner. Since the show is every 30 minutes, we walked around to watch from different spots and saw the show three times.

This morning, I joined my GMMRTT friends for a virtual Boston Strong 2.62 Miles to support all the runners of the Boston Marathon.

I am so happy for ALL of the runners, but especially my running friends, my MRTT peeps, and my fellow running bloggers.

So good luck to all my Boston Marathon running friends:

Angela Bekkala
Jen Boudreau
Dani Holmes-Kirk
Lauren Lisi Pino
Kathleen Wheeler
Elizabeth Beeson
Zoe Schwalje
Kelly Herr
Cape Cod Runner
Hungry Runner Girl
Cross My Heart Fitness
Stuft Mama
We Run Disney


Do you know someone running Boston today?
Give them a shout-out in the comments!

Training Truths: Back On My Feet

By now, you have probably heard about Mizuno's new campaign to get people running and support the Back On My Feet program at the same time. If not, here are the basics: Download the Mizuno Baton App and use it on your runs. For every mile that you run during a one week window, Mizuno will donate $1 to Back On Your Feet.

Now every run means even more.

Tuesday - Beautiful 4 mile trail run after school. Managed my pace better and finished with a 8:56 final mile.

Thursday - With questionable weather looming, I opted to do my 4 mile run from home instead of school. It turned out that I beat the rain and finished with another awesome final mile at 8:41! Then I hung out with the boys.

Saturday - My first workout of the day was SurfSet where we really worked our upper body. Now I'll know what's in store when the instructor says to grab two sets of weights.

(note: I am whimpy, so my weights are very light!)

The weather on Saturday was again questionable, so instead of running downtown after SurfSet, I came home. Hoping for better weather on Sunday for a long run, I chose to do a virtual 5K and used a tempo mix from RockMyRun. It wasn't a good tempo run, but I had another awesome last mile (9:22, 9:44, 8:47).

Sunday - No surprise that I woke up a little stiff from Saturday's SurfSet, but to loosen up I did a 10 minute ab workout (from Comcast on-demand, who knew?) and then loved on my foam roller. After selecting the Run Chat Fan Mix by RockMyRun as my pace music, I set out for a six miler that turned out way better than I expected. I'm happy with my overall pace, but even happier with my splits because for once I'm not all over the place. Mile 4 was a continuous climb that started with a steep 150' gain over about 350 yards. And of course I love that my last mile was once again my fastest.

Do you dedicate your runs?

TrainingTruths: Ups & Downs

If you think running is easy, think again. Even after running relatively consistently for the last two years, I still have daily struggles. This week I kept my focus on the preparing for the hilly course of my next half marathon, while at the same time trying to stay injury free. 

#TrainingTruth: I like using a virtual race as motivation to get in a good run.

After running in sub freezing temps on Saturday, this Monday afternoon run was a return to the humid warmer fall temperatures. Fearing I would lack some motivation, I decided to run Jess' Cupcake Classic 5K. 

#TrainingTruth: Some runs go from bad to worse before you know it.

My tight butt muscle/knot progressed down to my calf on this one. About two miles into this planned six mile run, I had to stop and stretch/massage/punch...and then turn around cutting the run short. I felt better on the way back, but then my running partner rolled her ankle. It was an ugly run. 

#TrainingTruth: Running down the hill forces you to run back up it.

After using my favorite Yoga for Runners app, I was feeling ready to take on my normal Saturday long run and some hills. Running 4 miles from my driveway through the center of town means going down a hill that drops over 100 feet in a .5 mile which then requires going back up it to get home. It worked.  

What ups & downs are you facing in your training right now?

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to assess ourselves. It's not judgement. It's a way to share and learn and make changes when necessary.

To participate all you have to do is share your #TrainingTruths:

1. Tag a Twitter post with the hashtag #TrainingTruths
2. Comment on the Running Escapades Facebook page 
3. Leave a link to your own blog post in the comments

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Courage. Strength. Grace.

February 12 - Those of us in the running world have all heard the tragic story of what happened to fellow runner Sherry Arnold on January 7th. Yesterday runners from all over took part in a virtual run in her memory. It didn't matter where you were or how far you would go. It didn't have to be an organized event or even a group run. Only a simple request was made by her relative Beth from Shut Up and Run to take a moment of silence to think about Sherry, her family, and her community.

Sherry was a wife, mother, runner, teacher, daughter. All roles that I can relate to. As I laced up my running shoes and got ready to head out to meet my running partner, I couldn't stop thinking about Sherry and how much we're all like her in one way or another. It would be so easy to ignore her story. To not let the ugly in the world enter your thoughts. The truth is, Sherry's real story is that of the life she lived. She touched so many people and will be remembered for her Courage. Strength. Grace.

We ran 8 miles yesterday. The blue bib stood out on our clothing as we made our way to downtown Manchester. The sky was gray, the winds were brisk, and we were quieter than usual. Before hitting a mile, there was a honk. Then a few minutes later, another honk. These weren't the typical honk-to-harrass-the-runners honks. These were the sounds of people supporting our run because they saw we were Running for Sherry.

Home for the Holidays 10K

   
December 24 - I woke up early Christmas Eve morning to take part in the Home for the Holidays 10K, a virtual race created by bloggers Ashley, Stephanie and Robin.  It is also training time for my second half marathon, so I worked in the 10K as part of my scheduled long run.

We still needed some last minute things for Christmas, so my husband dropped me at the school where I met up with my running buddy and he went off to the grocery. Our plan was to blend two of our running routes together and try to make an 8 mile run. Route #1: a 6.5 mile loop around the lake. Route #2: part of our hills workout run that we thought would add another 1.5 miles.

Here it is on GPS:

Did I mention that it was only 20 degrees? It was the coldest day we have gone running so far. All we needed was a little snow! Our run was slightly challenging because it included a few what-I-call-steep hills. I'm not sure if it was the cold weather or just an off day, but this run definitely required a lot of effort to push through. It was especially difficult to face one of the toughest hills at about 4.5 miles. My legs wanted me to keep moving down the hill instead of turning off and heading up.

We ended our run with 7.5 miles (so our estimations were a little off) and icicles in our hair! Participating in the Home for the Holidays 10K has been a lot of fun and I love that I burned a few hundred calories before the Christmas partying even began!

Virtual 10K - 1:01:10

Merry Christmas!

Virtual Running

 
December 22 - We are in the age of Virtual Running. A virtual run is completing the race requirements without being present in an actual race location. More and more events are popping up via social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Nike Running, DailyMile and more.

My experience with virtual running began in 2009 when I participated in the Nike Human Race 10K. Nike promoted this global 10K event for its users of the nike running sensor through Ambassadors, Challenge Teams, and Facebook. I was invited to join the event by one of the Nike Human Race Ambassadors and enjoyed weeks of training while interacting via the internet with my teammates and participating in contests. On race day, runners had to complete the 6.2 miles wherever they were, whenever they wanted and then upload their run using Nike+. Even though I wasn't surrounded by hundreds or thousands of other runners, I sported my Human Race running shirt and felt part of something huge.

This year I will be participating in the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K put together by a couple of Twitter runners Robin, Stephanie, and Ashley. To participate all you have to do is run your 10K between Dec 23-26 then submit your time afterward. You are also encouraged to submit your stories and photos because they are giving out prizes from an array of brands for Best Holiday Outfit and just for participating. These runner girls don't want to let anyone end 2011 without one more experience of the "runner's high."

The 2012 New Year will bring the Inaugural Twitter Road Race 5K on Jan 21 created by Doug another runner on Twitter. Doug has successfully registered Bart Yasso of Runner's World along with hundreds of other Twitter runners. Doug's goal is simply to bring runners together to experience the camaraderie of running through the power of Twitter.

These Virtual Races are great motivation for runners all over to get out there during these busy, hectic holidays and run. So whether you are maintaining your training or burning some holiday calories, virtual runs are an easy, healthy, fun way to do it!

What do you think about virtual running?

What virtual races have you participated in?