Monday, May 6, 2013

TrainingTruths: Half Marathon #9 Final Week

It was taper time last week. Nine weeks of coaching, guiding, and training with my husband for his third half marathon was winding down. Work and travel schedules prevented us from running together, but he stayed focused and IT ALL PAID OFF (recap coming soon).

Tuesday: It was a yucky four miles. As a runner I have learned that there will be days like this, but it doesn't stop the disappointment that comes with it. It was one of our first warm days, I was tired from a busy day at work, and feeling very blah and lethargic. I definitely had trouble keeping up with my running partner on this one.


Wednesday: I went to Atlanta to work on a special project with Mizuno for a couple of days. I missed my final taper run, but I did fit in my daily planks. The view out of the floor to ceiling windows was much better than my normal view of the living room or basement.


Sunday: After weeks of training together, hubs and I ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon. It was #9 for me and #3 for him. As promised, we stuck together for all 13....miles. I couldn't resist the .10 sprint to the finish line. This was a challenging course, but tons of fun.


Overall: I ate on the road a lot between Atlanta and Cincinnati, didn't follow my normal hydration routine, and only did my morning planks 4 days. I will be more focused this week while I allow some time to recover.

How was your week?



Friday, May 3, 2013

Fitness Friday: #GoalGetter 2013 April Update

In April I was really focused on two of my goals for the year: adding up the miles toward 1000 and strength training consistently. After crossing two other goals off my list last month, I was pumped up and motivated to keep working and pick up the slack where I needed to.

Run 1000 Miles

To reach this goal I need to run at least 82 miles every month. I'm happy to report that in April I ran 87.19! My total for the year so far is now 344.56, leaving 655.44 to go. Most of my April miles came from training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon (which I will be running on Sunday) and a couple of races. I did the BAA 5K and the Newport 10 Miler.

With the mileage on the rise, I added a new pair of Mizunos to the rotation. I am really loving my Wave Creation 14s.


Strength Train Consistently

I worked extra hard to make this my turn-around month following the total fail of March. I dug out the weighted hula hoop and have been giving it a spin a couple of times a week. I have also gotten back into the #plankaday habit. I'm not a fan of seeing how long I can hold a plank, so instead I focus on quick intervals.


Host a Fun Run

Ever since I joined some friends for a group fun run, I have wanted to organize my own. I never expected to be organizing a run as a show of support after a tragedy at a marathon, but that is what I did. I'm proud of myself for pulling it off, but I don't feel comfortable calling it a fun run. It was a #BostonStrong run.



What was your focus in April? How did you do?




Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Inaugural Newport 10 Miler


Newport, Rhode Island is one of my favorite places. The Inaugural Newport 10 Miler showcased the beauty and history that attracts so many and benefitted the historic Fort Adams Trust.


The race not only raised money for Fort Adams, but was held at Fort Adams, nestled on the Narragansett Bay. We picked up our race bibs and t-shirts on Saturday afternoon right on the parade lawn where the race would finish on Sunday and had the chance to meet Matt, the race organizer, from Gray Matter Marketing.


After our usual pre-race breakfast, we headed to the fort to be sure to get a good parking spot. The main lot outside the gates was being used for the race start and then public parking since Fort Adams would actually still be open for tours. The secondary lot was about a mile from the start line, but it was a pleasant walk with great views of downtown Newport across the harbor. Before the start, we met up with some of my favorite FitFluential running friends. 

Jill, Nancy, Samantha, Michelle, and me

We took advantage of the bag drop (which we somehow missed before heading to Newport and had to use a shopping bag from the NEX, yikes!) and the port-a-potties before heading to the start area. While chatting with Nancy and Jill we learned that the race would not start until 8:15. It wasn't a big deal to me, but for serious runners, it could mess with the whole fuel timing thing. 


At the boom of the cannon, we were off. Here's an awesome video showing what it looked like from above!



This race was a preview to the half  marathon my husband and I will be running together this weekend, so we ran at his pace. Right from the beginning we knew we were going to have fun when we saw flag guy (aka Bryan) - who we would end up running near for most of the race.


We also had some fun with the girls before losing each other in the crowd. This cool picture was my husband's idea. (Miles 1 & 2: 937, 926)


Besides all the fun we were having, we had these beautiful views of the Atlantic as we ran along Ocean Avenue.


Our photo taken by flag guy Bryan was the only dip in our pace - there was a photo bomb and camera malfunction involved too. (Miles 3-5: 1118, 926, 915)


Sadly, my husband forgot his Simple Hydration water bottle and had to use each of the four aid stations, but other than a couple of photo stops he sailed through the miles.


When he realized we were at MILE 6, he couldn't believe it because he was feeling so good. Did I mention that he wears Mizunos too? Enigmas for all you #brilliantrun junkies out there.


We love Rough Point and had to stop for a quick picture. You never know what you're going to see in the yards of these mansions! (Mile 6: 944)


The final four miles were just as good even though we had a couple of good hills to climb before cruising through the final two and back into Fort Adams. (Miles 7-10: 948, 945, 901, 837)


At the finish line we found some post-run yoga to stretch out and eventually found the food tent with bagels (always a favorite) and candy (even better than bagels!). The food tent was small and crowded but there was plenty for everyone.


This was a great race. My husband did amazing and I'm so proud of him. It was a great day for running.


The Newport 10 Miler has already announced the date for next year, April 27, 2014. Will you be there?


Monday, April 29, 2013

TrainingTruths: Half Marathon #9 Week 7

It was Spring Break here in New Hampshire although for the first few days you wouldn't know it. It was freezing. It finally turned around mid-week and cooperated for our last training runs before tapering begins for the Flying Pig. It was a week filled with finding ways to be active beyond the run and try to turn the occasional into habit.

#TrainingTruth: Turn intentions into actions.

On Monday I ran two miles with a wonderful group of runners who came out to support Boston at the #BostonStrongGoffstown event. I was a nervous host all day, but was put at ease as soon as we started running. It felt really good to be back on the trail.



Tuesday was a regular run day. The cold, rainy weather made it difficult to get out the door initially, but once we did, we covered the five mile route easily. 




The sun came out on Wednesday and since it was a non-running day, I took advantage of the weather and hula hooped outside.



Blessed again with sunshine and comfortable temps, Thursday's run was a treat after the soggy mess on Tuesday. My wish to replace my winter gear with running shorts was granted and even the headwinds couldn't dampen my spirits.



Thursday afternoon we couldn't pass up an invitation from my step daughter to join her and her boyfriend for some games of tennis. We enjoyed a little girls versus boys and then kids versus adults


Since the dog is retired from running, I decided to take him on a 5K walk to our local beach on Friday. Definitely need to do more of this.


The timing of the Newport Ten Miler fit perfectly as our long training run on Sunday (recap coming soon). I knew my husband's training had been going well, but I was blown away by how awesome he did running these ten miles. He finished in 1:36:32 and his overall pace was 9:39!



Share your #TrainingTruths!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Just a Little Blog Award - from I Heart Running

A fellow runner and blogger picked me and my little blog to receive the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Caroline is the supportive voice of I Heart Running and the Running Bloggers network. Thank you, Caroline! 


The rules for these awards are:
1. Add the Very Inspiring Blogger Award photo on a blog post
2. Thank the person who presented you with the award and link back to him or her in your post
3. Share seven things about yourself
4. Pass the award along to up to 10 favorite bloggers
Contact the chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Instead of things about me, I thought I'd share what I'm loving right now:
1. My Athleta Pismo Pullover in Grey Heather. Sooo comfy!




2. The Newport Ten Miler - because it means we are heading to one of my favorite places. It means warm weather, sailing, and family time.
3. My new favorite fun core workout - hula hooping.
4. Training with my husband - It's not always easy, but running together is a fun way for us to bond.
5. Long runs - The fact that I can lace up my shoes and head out for 6, 8, 10 miles at a time still astounds me, but I love the time to reflect and find my zen.
6. Runners - the running community is an amazing force. Seeing the outpour of support and love following the Boston bombing is so inspiring.
7. Spring - after a very long winter, seeing the pops of color is a welcomed sight.



My nominations:
1. Janine @ The Purple Giraffe
2. Nancy @ Living the Dream
3. Dani @ Weight Off My Shoulders
4. Deb @ McBride Design
5. Krysten @ The Misadventures of a Darwinian Fail
6. Angela @ Happy Fit Mama
7. Michelle @ Running with Attitude

8. Sarah @ Run Far Girl
9. Katie @ Ms Fit Runner
10. Jen @ Running with the Girls



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