TrainingTruths: Tapering Workouts

Last week was the taper week leading up to half marathon #5. Tapering is not a term that I am all that familiar with because I only started running distances longer than 10Ks a year ago. In fact, marathon #5 is a re-run of my first ever half marathon!

WORKOUTS:

#TrainingTruth: A humid 5 miles is not so bad if there is a view half way through.

#TrainingTruth: A sweaty four mile run is good for practicing the perfect gear combination for race day.

#TrainingTruth: Pre-race activities must be executed properly to ensure a successful race day: attend the expo, hang out with FitFluential peeps, and enjoy a pre-race meal.

#TrainingTruth: All of the training pays off on race day!

#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!

Fitness Friday: Rock 'n Roll Weekend

Happy Friday! 

I'm super excited because tomorrow I'll be heading to Providence, Rhode Island for a mini-weekend. On Sunday I will be running half marathon #5.

I'm going to be squeezing in as much fun as I can this weekend:

• First stop after lunch is the Health & Fitness Expo held at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Here I will pick up our registration packets, swag bags, and race shirts before strolling the exhibits and visiting some of my favorite vendors. I'm really looking forward to stopping by Sweaty Bands.
• While we're at the expo, I'm looking forward to seeing some FitFluential friends at the FitFluential Meet-up! The plans are still in the works, but I'm hoping to see Janine, Samantha, Dani, and maybe Charlotte, and Robin.
• If there's time, I would like to attend one of the Fitness Clinics where runners can get some awesome tips from running legends and experts like Olympian Marc Davis, World Record Marathoner Khalid Khannouchi, and Boston Winner Geoff Smith.
• My husband and I will be meeting up with my friend Daisy (who is also running the half marathon) and her husband for pre-race dinner. Federal Hill is known for it's variety of Italian restaurants, and that is exactly what we are looking for!
• It's WaterFire Weekend in Providence, so after dinner we are planning to walk over to WaterPlace Park Basin to see over 80 sparkling water bonfires and listen to the music. 
• Sunday morning it's time to Rock 'n Roll! We'll be up early and heading to the State House for the 7:00 AM start.
• After the race we'll hang out at the Finish Line Festival, enjoy a free live performance by Karmin, and celebrate our new bling! 

Source

As I told you in this post, the weather didn't play nice last year. I really hope that it cooperates this time for a fantastic mini-weekend in Providence and a great half marathon.

You can catch some of the fun via Twitter (#RnRProv), Instagram, and Facebook.

What are your running plans this weekend?

If you're going to be at RnRPROV, be sure to let me know!

Don't forget to check out other Fitness Friday posts over at Fitness, Health, and Happiness.

FitFluential

I joined the FitFluential community in December of 2011. I was so impressed with the amount of support and encouragement I received from this online group, that I decided to apply to be an ambassador.

Today, I am in the Ambassador Spotlight over on the FitFluential Blog. Please take a moment to check it out and leave a comment.

From the website:

FitFluential is open to anyone and everyone who is passionate about fitness, not just bloggers. You may have a Twitter account and follow some of your favorite bloggers and vloggers, but you don’t consider yourself active in social media. You can still be a member of the FitFluential family.

With your membership, you will be eligible for exclusive discounts and giveaways that are only available to the FitFluential family. FitFluential is launching Member Perks in July 2012.

Additionally, you’ll find out when FitFluential events or other fitness events are coming to your city. And, if you’ve been thinking about starting a blog or diving into social media, we’re here to help. We can get you started telling your fitness story so that you can become even more involved in FitFluential. During the summer 2012, FitFluential will go live with its online training courses that will help you take things up a notch with your online fitness journey. If you are ready to blog, vlog, pin, tweet, instagram and hashtag, our courses will show you how, effortlessly.

So, join the FitFluential Family now! The fun is just beginning.

Ambassador Application Period Closing!

Have you been thinking that you'd like to apply to become a FitFluential Ambassador "one day?" Today is that day! FitFluential is making changes to the Ambassador program and will be closing the Ambassador application period on Saturday, August 18, 2012. Don't miss your chance! To apply, visit http://fitfluential.com/ambassadors.

Back to the Beginning

A year ago I ran my first half marathon at the Inaugural Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in Providence, Rhode Island.

Since then I have run three more.

This weekend, my husband and I will be returning to Providence to run the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon again. We are looking to bring home some new bling!

It rained the entire 13.1 miles last year and while we really don't want to do that again, RnR PROV is offering a Rainy Day Refund. If it rains more than an inch between 7-12, we can get a refund or a free entry into another RnR race event.

Last year we had dinner at the WaterPlace Restaurant, a really nice place right there in the Capitol Center of Down City within walking distance of most of the race hotels.

This year we will be looking for a place that serves up what we consider to be a better food group for our pre-race dinner!

What is your go-to pre-race meal?

And for those of you who asked, here is the crab dip recipe I mentioned in this post.

Don't forget to check out other great recipes at the WIAW link up at Peas & Crayons.

TrainingTruths: Workouts & Olympic Soccer Party

I used to be a soccer junkie...live, breathe, dream everything soccer. It was my first addiction. After two knee surgeries in three years, I stopped playing competitively and eventually found my second passion: running. I'm currently training for my 5th half marathon. Last week my training started winding down, but Olympic soccer started heating up.

WORKOUTS:

#TrainingTruth: I used to think running a 10K was hard.

The first time I ran a 10K race in 2006, I was so impressed that I could run 6.2 miles! Now, when I look at my training schedule and see 6 miles, I know that I can do it. I'm not intimidated by that distance anymore because of the time I have spent pushing myself to go longer and do better. It is an awesome feeling to look back at how far I've come as a runner.

#TrainingTruth: I like running (and wearing unplanned-matching outfits) with my family.

Even though we spend much of the time on our runs lost in our own thoughts, there are often moments where we engage in conversation. I love talking about running and fitness, but chatting about what's going on in our lives is even more rewarding. It is also pretty cool to watch your step daughter achieve her personal distance record or bust out a freakishly fast sprint to the end!

#TrainingTruth: Pacing my running partners is challenging, but rewarding.

Usually my BRF is the one doing the leading on our runs, but she has been on vacation so I have been thrust into the pacer position. It is hard to keep the pace a little slower and to remember to take walk breaks for my husband and step daughter whose training is not as consistent as mine. Being there to see their happy faces when they find their groove or reach running milestones is amazing though.

 

FOOD:

#TrainingTruth: Sometimes I eat appetizers in place of a real meal.

Thursday afternoon we had an Olympic Soccer Party while watching the US Women's Team play for the gold medal. Preparations for the party included making crab dip and cupcakes (which we decorated with our choices of who would score the first goal). Earlier after going for a run I had a salad. It wasn't breakfast and it wasn't lunch. Later, during the party, I pretty much made the crab dip and wheat thins my lunch.

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to asses 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!