Kickoff to Summer

June 18 - On Saturday I ran the Kickoff to Summer 5K for the third time. This is a fundraiser race for the local elementary school in my town and dedicated in memory to local father Dave Cramb who passed away in 2008. This year I recruited my husband, step daughter, and BRF. My goal was to do as good or better than my 28:06 time from last year.

My BRF and I had a seven mile long run on our training schedule so we ran four miles before the race. We opted to run along the river, a simple out & back. It was a cool morning with bright blue skies and a pleasant breeze. Our pre-race run was a first for me. I've often seen and heard others talk about running before or after a race to get in the mileage, but I admit that I always thought they were kind of crazy. Now that I understand the importance of a proper training program, I get it. Afterwards, we met my step daughter and husband at the registration area before heading to the grand stand for the Opening Ceremony.

After a few brief words, a moment of silence, and the singing of the National Anthem all the runners and walkers headed to the start line. The combination paved and dirt road course starts at the Central School and loops through the local fair grounds. It's an easy, relatively flat course. The race started on time with a lap around the school and then headed out onto the main road for .75 mile before turning into the fair grounds. The next 1.5 miles followed a dirt road out and looped back around. Here there was a lot of congestion formed by the runners who had stopped to walk. The last .50 mile was a slight incline to the finish.

What I love about this race is that it is organized entirely by volunteers and they do an awesome job. They provide three water tables along the course staffed by students and parents from the school. It also includes a one mile fun run for kids and a kids' mad dash for the little ones prior to the start of the 5K run/walk. The only improvement would be to have chip timing.

I'd been looking forward to this race because it was the first one I ran after moving to NH. That year was not my best running performance, but last year I did much better. This time I not only did better than the previous year, but also beat my six year old 5K PR with a time of 27:35 and 6th in my age group!

After finishing, I hung out with BRF while waiting for my step daughter (who was only a minute behind me) and husband to finish. We ran into a fellow teacher who was the third overall finisher this year! We cooled down over some delicious home made food and good conversation.

After the race, I was notified by Heather that I was being featured on her blog Running with Sass. Heather is a Mississippi girl who was inspired to run after watching her friends run the Disney World Marathon. Head over to her blog to see what she has accomplished since then!

Thanks Heather!

What do you like most about races?

How do you "kickoff" your summer?

#TrainingTruths: Workouts and Yogurt

June 13 - If I'm going to become a better runner, I have to take time to think about what I'm actually doing. Obviously I'm running, but what else is going on that might help or hinder my training?

In an effort to be more conscientious about my fitness choices I'm starting a weekly post in which I will share...well, my training truths. Mainly I'll be focusing on my workouts and food, but really any topic is fair game. The point is to be honest and maybe learn something.

Workouts:

#TrainingTruth: Sometimes I run when I shouldn't because I'm so caught up in meeting the weekly mileage.

Two weeks ago I officially started following another Nike+ training program as I get ready for half marathon #5. Even though I have been running regularly since last August, I still like the structure and guidance of a plan.

This plan suggests three runs each week. Week 1 of the program I missed a day because of a work event so I didn't reach my weekly mileage. Week 2 was better and I even ran an extra day trying to catch up a little. This is a good way to get an injury.

#TrainingTruth: I am consistent with strength training in small portions.

I've been working on strengthening my core. I love these weekly workouts and wrote about them here. When I faithfully followed these 30 day challenges in the past, my running felt better, easier. Last month I tried to do more than one challenge and that was a big fail. Lesson learned. Don't over do it!

Food: 

#TrainingTruth: I need yogurt to counter the side effects of the junk food I like to eat.

I have always been a picky eater with stomach issues on top of the fact that I devour all things salty and by definition "junk." I tried Activia because Jamie Lee Curtis said that in two weeks I would feel awesome.  I don't know how it works; I can only attest that it does...for me. Running is much easier when you don't have to worry about stomach issues. My favorite flavor is Raspberry...

Want to know what others are eating? Go here. 

What have you learned about yourself this week?

#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. If you feel like sharing your #TrainingTruths, tag a Twitter post with the hashtag, comment on Facebook, or leave a link to your post in the comments below. 

Bloggers Unite

 
June 11 - Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet up with some awesome New Hampshire ladies. We had a fun time getting to know one another and chatting about blogging, running, and races. There's nothing better than meeting more women passionate about running and fitness.

Let me introduce you:

Janine - blogs at The Purple Giraffe. She wears tutus when she runs!

Angela - blogs at Happy Fit Mama. She's a marathoner!

Sarah - blogs at Run Far Girl. She used to teach high school English!

Cheryl - blogs at Live Fit Daily. She's a Georgia Peach!

This summer I will be running the Lozilu Women's Mud Run in Boston along with Angela, the Color Me Rad 5K with Janine, Cheryl and possibly Angela, and maybe I can convince Sarah to run Zooma Cape Cod. Hopefully there will be some non-running adventures to get us together again too!

Do the people in your life share your passion 

for running or fitness?

What new adventure have you been on recently?

National Running Day

 
June 6 - National Running Day is a day for people to declare their love and passion for running as well as make resolutions and set new goals. I made a bold move last year.

Most runners will tell you that every day is running day, and I agree.

However, setting aside a day to come together to celebrate and encourage others who may be just beginning their running adventures can be an awesome experience.

The National Running Day website has some great suggestions for celebrating, but all you really need to do is get out there and run.

Pin this if you ran or plan to run today!

Source: talk.brooksrunning.com via Amy on Pinterest

Happy National Running Day!

How will you celebrate?

I'll be running with my BRF after school today!

Why do you run?

I run because it makes me smile and keeps me fit.

Goal Maintenance 101

June 1 - Most of us set goals for ourselves at the start of the new year. I am no different. How can we ensure successful completion of the goals that we set?

1. Check Progress: To be successful at achieving our goals, we must take time to reflect. We should not only decide what we want to achieve, but also determine a plan for assessing our progress. Every day? Once a week? Monthly? Find what works for the type of goals you have set.

2. Big versus Small: Many of us set large goals for ourselves: i.e. "run a marathon." This is good, but by making smaller sub-goals we are more likely to see the results we want. A sub-goal to "run a marathon" might be "run a half marathon."

3. Adjust: If you find that a goal you set for yourself feels out of reach, change it up. Extend the end date. Reduce the total miles. Tweak the goal pace. Making accommodations is better than giving up.

In January, I wrote about my goals for the year, and although I think I have been keeping up with them, I haven't assessed my progress since the end of February. Yikes!

No time like the present:

1. Keep Running: Although my miles have decreased as I struggle to get through my calf issue, I have maintained a fair amount of miles for March, April, and May.

2. Run a Race every Month: This goal has been fun to keep. Sometimes I even ran more than one race because so many of them sounded fun.

3. Continue to improve my blog: Running Escapades was nominated for Fitness Magazine's Fiteratti Award, featured on Fitblogger, and nominated for a One Lovely Blog Award.

4. Add another New England state to the list of places I have run: Not until August...

5. Keep meeting new running friends: Met up with some FFAs at the Saucony Find Your Strong Event and another Rhode Scholar Blogging Ambassador in Providence.

How do you make sure you keep your goals?