Fitness Friday: Home Runs

 
I've been spending the week in Cincinnati visiting with my family and friends. Tomorrow I will be running the Hyde Park Blast for the second time.

"The Hyde Park Blast was co-founded by Cheryl Koopman and Chad Sims, both Hyde Park residents, as a way for the community to have fun, be active and raise money for a good cause – the fight against cancer.

Since 2001, more than $260,000 has been donated to CancerFree Kids, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Cancer Support Community, The Cure Starts Now and Shemenski Foundation in addition to Give Back Cincinnati by the Blast."

This event lives up to its mission. 

It starts at 8AM with the 4-mile run/walk.

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Then throughout the day there are kids races, ice cream and footlong eating contests, 

as well as all kinds of FREE exercise demos and classes 

from race sponsors including Lululemon.

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The evening events include cycling races and the elite 5K run.

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The block party kicks off at 6PM with Cincinnati cover band The Gamut 

followed by national act Cowboy Mouth.

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The course has changed since I last ran this race, so I am hoping for a better time.

(they eliminated a nasty hill) 

No matter what, I'm sure I will be having a blast!

2007 - taken by my dad

Do you run races when you travel?

#TrainingTruths: Workouts & Skyline Chili Spaghetti

As you are reading today's post, I am hanging out in Cincinnati for the week with my family and friends. I haven't been home since Thanksgiving (when I ran this race) and I've missed everyone and everything. Today I'm going to a Reds game and then lots of running around.

Last week was the start of summer vacation in the middle of a heat wave and in addition to the PT sessions of ART and Graston, my training schedule has been a little all over the place. I ran four times for a weekly mileage total of 14 (it was supposed to be 17).

WORKOUTS:

#TrainingTruth: I liked running on my lunch break.

I've been reading about people who work out on their lunch breaks for years. Being a teacher, I have approximately 30 minutes to inhale eat my lunch. No time for anything else and barely enough time to use the rest room. Our last day of school exam schedule gave us an hour long lunch, so BRF and I headed out for a 4 mile run. We were trying to beat the heat that was descending on New Hampshire. I now understand why so many people opt to do their workouts at lunch rather than wait until the end of the day. I couldn't do this during the school year because there isn't enough time and I'd be pretty stinky if I had a class after lunch.

#TrainingTruth: I don't follow doctors orders very well.

For the past few weeks I've been attending PT to address the knots in my calf. My PT did not ask me to stop running (thank goodness), but he did ask me to keep the mileage low on each run and always take rest days between. I'm a terrible patient. I was feeling good, awesome in fact, so I did a 7 miler and then ran three days in a row. It shouldn't surprise me that the pain flared back up right before what might have been my last session. Lesson learned. I reduced my Saturday 8 miler to 4 and did not skip rest days anymore.

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FOOD:

#TrainingTruth: I eat pasta for pre-race meals, but I like to spice it up.

Every runner knows that pasta is a great meal for loading up on carbs before a big race. It's also a quick, easy meal to make when life gets hectic. I like to make traditional pasta, but even more I like to make it Cincinnati style. To make it, all I need is to get my hands on some Skyline Chili (I stock up when I'm home or ask my family to mail me some), cook some spaghetti, and add some cheese.

If you don't have access to Skyline Chili, you can follow this recipe that my aunt recommend to me in case I ever run out:

Ingredients:

•   1 quart cold water

•   2 lbs ground beef

•   2 cups crushed tomato

•   2 yellow onions, diced

•   4 garlic cloves, minced

•   1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

•   1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

•   1/4 cup chili powder

•   1 tsp cayenne

•   1 tsp ground cumin

•   2 tbsp cider vinegar

•   1 whole bay leaf

•   1/4 tsp ground cloves

•   1 tsp cinnamon

•   1 1/2 tsp salt

•   cooked spaghetti to serve chili over

Preparation:

1. Add beef and water to a 4-quart pot. Bring to a simmer while stirring until the ground beef is in very small pieces. Simmer for 30 minutes and add all the rest of the ingredients. 

2. Simmer on low, uncovered, for 3 hours. Add water as needed if the chili becomes to thick. 


3. Refrigerated the chili overnight, and the next day remove the layer of fat from top before reheating and serving.

Don't forget to check out WIAW recipes also!

#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!

Fitness Friday: Summer Fun Runs

I have run lots of traditional road races: 5Ks to half marathons. With the exception of this one, they are always what you expect. This summer I am trying something new and signed up for a couple of fun runs.

The LoziLu is a women's only 5K trail run with exciting obstacles and a fun post-race party. Now even though it's a "mud run" this event is all about the girlie-girl in all of us.

"Beyond the perfect mud run and a whole heap of fun, your registration provides you a super sweet stainless steel LoziLu water bottle, a stylish LoziLu Sweaty Band, fabulous fun, snacks, beverages, an adult beverage*, bonding with the girls, stickers, free event photos, and a DJ hosted party to shake your groove thang. LoziLu is kind of a sweet deal for all day entertainment."

I signed up to run this race with a team of NH bloggers led by Heather who aptly named us Team Bad Ass Blogger Babes! I really hope we win the largest team award because I hear the prize is WINE!

After covering myself in mud, I'm going to cover myself in color. Color Me Rad is 5K event in which your white shirt becomes a canvas of color as you are bombed with blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow corn starch.

At the finish line you'll be greeted by "the royal rumble of color. Every 15 – 20 minutes everyone will grab handfuls of color and pummel each other until you're black and blue (from corn starch – no real bruising will occur). There will be music, food, and sponsors welcoming you across the finish line with open arms."

I'm running this as part of Team FitFluential and even though I have a feeling there's not going to be a huge amount of actual running going on, I think it's going to be a crazy fun run!

Don't forget to use PROMO code CCAMB8 when you register for ZOOMA Cape Cod. It gets you $10 off the half or $5 off the 10K. There is a price increase tomorrow.

What new things are you planning this summer?  

#TrainingTruths: Workouts and Rachel Ray

Last week was a busy week with school, graduation, a faculty party, and trip to MA for a family shindig. I was only able to complete 2/3 of my scheduled training runs for a weekly total of 12 miles and I had to get creative to make that happen!

Workouts:

#TrainingTruth: I really like the feeling of a PR!

On Saturday I had 7 miles on schedule, but I also had a 5K that didn't start until 10 AM. In order to get in my mileage for the day, I chose to run 4 miles before the race. I've never done that before, but we were leaving after the race to drive 2.5 hours to MA. I had to go before.

My goal for the 5K was to do at least as well as last year, and I thought this might be a struggle because of the pre-race run. After crossing the finish line of the non-chip timed race, it dawned on me that I might have done better than last year...by a lot.

Later that evening I checked the results and discovered that not only did I beat my time from last year, but also my PR from SIX YEARS AGO! I am really starting to like the feeling of becoming a better runner!

#TrainingTruth: I'm a little nervous about running in the summer heat.

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As we make our way through the month of June in New England, the temperature has been steadily climbing. We've already had some really warm days, and I find myself struggling with breathing and maintaining my energy. I don't know much about how to run in the heat and I want all of my runs to be productive, so I've got some researching to do.

Food:

#TrainingTruth: I could eat parm-crusted haddock daily!

In an effort to try to eat healthy and because we love fish, we have been trying new recipes. Rachel Ray has a great recipe for tilapia, but we modified it for one of our favorite fish, haddock. It's a process to make, but it's so delicious!

You can find the original recipe in her book rachel ray's look + cook on page 136 or on the Rachel Ray Show website. And more delicious recipes can be found here.

#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 of the weekly post
4. Link up below

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Put Some ZOOM in Your Training

The start of summer can have different effects on our fitness routines. Some people are motivated and charge full steam ahead into their training and workouts. Others may be feeling a little lazy and fighting the urge to relax on the beach instead of get up and move. Then there is always so much more to do in the warm fabulous days of summer.

Whether you are ready to jump in or need a little motivation, the Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon/10K is a perfect way to do it.

"ZOOMA is a national women's race series that takes running and celebrating to the extreme. ZOOMA half marathon and 10k or 5K races are followed by a fabulous post-race party with massages, wine, music and more!" 

When you sign up for Zooma Cape Cod you get access to Train Like a Mother training plans as well as opportunities to attend training runs sponsored by City Sports - Back Bay location in Boston.

This race is the perfect opportunity to get together with all your girlfriends. You can train together, run a race together, and then party on the Cape together!  

As a Zooma Ambassador I can offer you a discount on the Cape Cod registration. All you have to do is enter the promo code CCAMB8 to get $10 the half marathon or $5 off the 10K. The price increases on June 23 so hurry to get the best deal!

You won't regret registering for this event. Zooma offers tremendous support through the blog, their Facebook page, and Twitter.

How do you stay motivated during the summer?