Crazy weather leads to limited workouts

It is no secret that Mother Nature needs some Prozac.  The weather here in Ohio has been ridiculously snowy and cold the entire month of January.  This of course translates into less workouts and more time spent indoors trying to stay warm.  Needless to say, I have seen a lot of zeros on my dailymile training profile.

Not so sure why he looks so happy.  Yeah, zero...we get it

Now I will say that the kids and I and some friends went to visit our friends in Chicago for a long weekend so that also contributed to my zeros.  Since one of my missions is to run happy and stress free, I refused to let myself feel bad for not doing one single workout while we were there.  It was about spending time we our good friends and catching up with everyone.

The good news is that I have managed to get some workouts in this month.  There has been a bit of running as well as a little bit of cross training going on in my world.

I did my first kettlebell/treadmill walk workout about two weeks ago and I really enjoyed it.  The best part was I got a fantastic deal on my kettlebells at the local Aldi.

Best. Deal. Ever

Tuesday of last week I did manage to get a hill repeat workout done on the trusty old basement treadmill and followed it up on Wednesday with a kettlebell/stair workout.  Man was that workout both hard and awesome all at the same time.  I definitely worked up one heck of a sweat in those 31 minutes.  I never realized how handy the 15 stairs in my house are!

Not my steps but very similar to the 15 in my house

Of course we must fast forward to today when Mother Nature again forgot to take her meds and I wake up to this love sight on my phone.

Brrrrr!!

Seriously??  Come on now!  Obviously I was anticipating cold weather because both my school and my kids school closed today but I certainly wasn't expecting to see that!!  I had planned to run seven miles today with four 1 mile repeats included and I knew after seeing this that this workout would have to occur on the treadmill.  I quickly checked out the TV guide to see what was going to be on today.  The Bucket List at 11:00 AM.  Okay, I think I can tolerate the treadmill and not have the urge to rip my eyes out if I run while this movie is showing.  Overall it was a great workout.  I feel short on the last mile repeat as I was listening to my body and didn't want to make any stupid decisions  that would result in injury.  Afterall, it goes back to my mission of running happy.  If I can't run because I am injured then I certainly can't run happy! 

Very thankful for my Vision Fitness Treadmill when it's crazy cold out

Here's hoping that Mother Nature gets her meds figured out very soon.  I want to be back outside taking in all the beautiful scenery on a run instead of staring into the face of my flat screen TV in the basement.  There are only so many shows I can watch!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

2014 Missions

In my last post, I asked for a new word for goals because quite frankly the word goals stresses me out.  I took it to Facebook and after reviewing the suggestions, I have decided to go with missions.

Now that I have covered my reason for not having "goals", I give you my missions for 2014 in no particular order.

Mission #1:  Make an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Action Plan:  Always have fruits and vegetables cleaned, cut up, and ready for consumption.
Action Plan:  Choose healthier options when snacking.

Mission #2:  Accept and embrace that my best is good enough.
Action Plan:  Stop comparing myself to others and compare myself to the person I was yesterday.
Action Plan:  Define my own success and measure it by what I am able to do.

Mission #3:  Run 1400 miles in 2014.
Action Plan:  Run.
Action Plan:  Run some more.

Mission #4:  Run happy.
Action Plan:  Run training runs and races with friends as often as I can.
Action Plan:  Listen to my heart and not the beeps on my Garmin.
Action Plan:  Be thankful that I have been blessed with a healthy body that allows me to run.

Mission #5:  Do other workouts in addition to running.
Action Plan:  Find workouts I enjoy and actually do them.
Action Plan:  Participate in some monthly fitness challenges.

As this is my mission list I am giving myself permission to add, delete, or change them at any given time.   I will update you on my progress when I do my month in review posts.  Here goes nothing...

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!

December and 2013 Goals in Review

Yes, I do realize that there is a day left in December but I am 99.9% sure that I won't be running tomorrow since my best friend and her family will be arriving late this evening.  With that being said, a nice 10 mile long run yesterday brought my December training to an end.

 

December 2013 stats
56.03-- running miles
0-- spin miles
0-- jump rope fitness workouts
0-- core fitness workout
0-- Pure Barre classes
0-- Fitness App workout
0-- walking miles
56.03-- total miles

Current 2013 stats
1,314.54-- running miles
67-- spin miles (3 classes)
19-- jump rope fitness workouts
1-- core fitness workout
12-- Pure Barre classes
1-- Fitness App workout
9.69-- walking miles
1,391.23-- total miles

2013 "to do list" check-in

2013 Running Goals
1. First and foremost 26.2 under 4 hours--enough said
FAIL- I did end up running another marathon that I received free entry into. My goal was to run smart and listen to my body which I did. I also finished in my second fastest time (4:31:43) so I can't complain about that. I will have to try for sub 4 another day....



2. Achieve a second sub 1:50 half marathon so I can remove the asterick from my current sub 1:50 PR
FAIL- I came very close in March (1:50:43) but alas I didn't break into the 1:40's.   I didn't run any 1/2 marathons in December but I did run the Christmas Story 10K and had a blast with the girls!  We shall see what 2014 brings in this area!



Bick, Emily, Kim, me, and Missi


2013 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-56.03 miles run in December...oops that's definitely not 100 miles. 
PARTIAL FAIL- There were several months that I did run over 100 miles but I was not 12 for 12.
2. Run 1300 miles for the year
SUCCESS- 1,314.54 miles run in 2013!!

2013 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Cross-train at least twice a week
-This was a fail for December.  I had even told Kim that I would do at least one jump rope workout but that didn't happen....
ALMOST TOTAL FAIL-  There were definitely a lot more months that I didn't get any cross-training done in 2013. 
2. Complete a jump rope workout every day
-Not a single jump rope workout completed in December
FAIL-  This was a pretty short lived one...the streak ended before the end of January...so much for jumping rope every single day in 2013.
3. Drink 50 ounces of water per day (based on my current weight, this is my daily water intake need)
-Done in December and done well.
ALMOST TOTAL SUCCESS-  There were a couple long runs that I didn't hydrate properly for but I felt I was successful for the most part for 2013.
4. Take my vitamins daily
-Vitamin taken every single day in December (assuming I remember to take it tomorrow). 
 ALMOST TOTAL SUCCESS-  I believe there were less than 10 days that I forgot to take my vitamins in 2013.
5. Continue to choose and cook healthier foods
-8 meals made in December.
SUCCESS- I am quite pleased with my results in this area in 2013.
6. Learn to swim...better luck this year
-What's this swimming you speak of......
FAIL- I have no excuse....I didn't learn to swim in 2013.
Overall December was a great month.  While I didn't have 100% success with my goals and challenges I am still happy with how 2013 went. 

We were talking on our long run yesterday about our 2014 goals and I realized and verbalized for the first time that "goals" stress me out.  Therefore when coming up with my 2014 plans, I am going to try and come up with a better "term" for "goals".  I am open to any suggestions any of you may have.  I will be back soon with my "un-goals"?  HA!  Yeah, I definitely need to work on that one!

November in Review

My Gobble Wobble 5K on Thanksgiving morning with a whole bunch of my cousins brought my November running to a close.

Inside the building where it is nice and warm

Waiting outside with my cousins.  Yes, my cousin Rob is in shorts and military boots...brrrr!!

The November Details

November 2013 stats
70.4-- running miles
0-- spin miles
0-- jump rope fitness workouts
0-- core fitness workout
0-- Pure Barre classes
0-- Fitness App workout
0-- walking miles
70.4-- total miles

Current 2013 stats
1258.51-- running miles
67-- spin miles (3 classes)
19-- jump rope fitness workouts
1-- core fitness workout
12-- Pure Barre classes
1-- Fitness App workout
9.69-- walking miles
1,335.20-- total miles

2013 "to do list" check-in

2013 Running Goals
1. First and foremost 26.2 under 4 hours--enough said
-I did end up running another marathon that I received free entry into.  My goal was to run smart and listen to my body which I did.  I also finished in my second fastest time (4:31:43) so I can't complain about that.  I will have to try for sub 4 another day....




2. Achieve a second sub 1:50 half marathon so I can remove the asterick from my current sub 1:50 PR
-I wasn't planning to run any 1/2's this month but it worked out with Kaelynn's skating schedule that I could run the Fall Classic with some of my Sunday morning girls.  I didn't run a PR but I did run with Emily for the first 11.5 miles to help her achieve her goal time of 1:55.  I am thrilled to report that she finished in 1:53 and I was just behind her in about 1:54.  It was so cold that we have zero pictures from the event!  I'm pretty sure I won't be running a 1/2 in December so I'm thinking I won't be chasing that sub 1:50 until sometime in the future.




2013 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-70.4 miles run in November....oops!!
2. Run 1300 miles for the year
-41.49 miles to go to complete this challenge.  Definitely possible to achieve by year end.

2013 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Cross-train at least twice a week
-Partial success and partial fail.  I did successfully complete the November Triceps Challenge.  I didn't do any other cross-training during the month though.

I didn't pick a challenge for December yet and it's already the 3rd...oops!

2. Complete a jump rope workout every day
-Not a single jump rope workout completed. And...the trend continues...
3. Drink 50 ounces of water per day (based on my current weight, this is my daily water intake need)
-Done and done well.
4. Take my vitamins daily
-Vitamin taken all but one day in November.  Pretty sure I forgot the day I ran the "unplanned" marathon....go figure!
5. Continue to choose and cook healthier foods
-14 meals made in November .  I am very pleased with this one!
6. Learn to swim...better luck this year
-What's this swimming you speak of......
Overall I am happy with November and look forward to seeing what is in store during this last month of the year.

Inland Trail Marathon Race Report

So after my less than stellar showing at The Erie Marathon in September, I did some research to see if there were any additional marathons I could run before the end of the year.  I was still wanting that sub 4 finish and felt like I had another marathon left in me.  I did secretly ask a friend her thoughts about my ability to run another marathon just a little over 6 weeks after Erie and left it at that.  Well fast forward a couple days and long story short, I ended up with a free entry to the race with the option of turning at the half marathon point if I so desired.  I liked this plan because it really became a no pressure race that very few people knew I was doing.  I truly did approach the race as a "Sunday long run" and not a race.  The bonus with this is that I had zero pre-race nerves or anxiety.  I was just out to enjoy the beautiful scenery on a lovely fall day in Ohio.  Since this was a very small marathon (52 finishers in the full), I was able to pick up my packet race morning.  As I am heading to find a spot to put my timing chip on my shoe, a woman calls out my name and of course I look at her and have to admit I have no idea who she is.  Within the first few seconds of talking with her I realized that I did in fact know her through a friend that I work with and remembered that her name was Colleen.  We chatted a bit and she asked me what my goal time was.  I told her while I would love to run a PR (who wouldn't?), I just wanted to run a smart race, listen and respond to my body and be happy with my finish.  One of my Sunday morning running buddies, Emily, was also there as her husband was running the half so I talked to her for a few minutes as well.  Colleen and I parted ways with Emily and headed outside to the start line.  As we were waiting I realized that I had forgotten to grab my sunglasses from the car and asked Colleen if she thought I had time to run and get them.  Her thought was that I didn't.  As luck would have it though, there was a small mess up with day of registrants and the start was delayed by a few minutes.  At this point, I saw Emily and I asked her if she thought I could get them and she indicated that she thought I had time.  I am happy to say that I was able to get them and return to the start line with a few minutes to spare before we were off and running.  I am so glad I chanced it because the sun was definitely present the entire 26.2 miles.  With minimal fan fare, the race started and so began my "Sunday long run".  I think a lot of people were excited as it seemed everyone went out incredibly fast, myself included.  I tried to slow myself down but it wasn't working which was evident by my 8:31 split for the first mile.  It was nice to see Emily a few times on the course as she was out cheering for her husband so I got bonus cheers from her!  I think it was around mile three or four that I came upon another runner and we started chatting.  I mentioned to her that she looked familiar and she mentioned that she was from Michigan.  It turned out that I didn't know her but we ran together until the 1/2 marathon point when she pulled away from me.  I never did catch her name.  I do know she was trying to qualify for Boston and needed a 4:10.  I do not know if she got her Boston time for sure.  All I know is that she did finish ahead of me so there is a very good chance that she did.  I was feeling very good and was glad to be able to high five Colleen as she was headed back after making the turn for the half marathon.  I can tell you that when I got to the half marathon turn, I didn't even consider it and kept on moving forward.  This was a success for me after Erie.  I wanted to leave the course after the first 1/2 at Erie!  I had taken a gel around mile 7 and it really did increase my energy.  When I got to the half marathon point on Sunday my time was 1:58.  I was feeling like I needed to take in another gel so I went ahead and took small sips of the gel throughout mile 14.  I did slow down a bit to make sure I also got an adequate amount of water with the gel.  I was definitely starting to feel the miles adding up and taking their toll on my body.  Upon getting to mile 18 my calves thought it would be fun to start locking up.  Instead of freaking out and getting upset, I slowed to a walk to get my calves to start to cooperate.  I had to do a run/walk several different times between miles 18-22.  I just went with the 3/1 ratio that seems to work for me.  I also took the time to enjoy the beauty of the trail at this point and snapped a few photos.

At the water stop around mile 22 I stopped because the pain in my calves was increasing.  The volunteers asked if I was okay and I mentioned that my calves were bothering me and they offered me vasoline which I found very odd.  I declined because luckily I always carry sample size biofreeze in my water belt.  I used the biofreeze and continued on my way.  Around mile 24 I came across a young man with his race number in his hand with his head down.  As I went by him he asked how I was and then I asked him the same question.  He said he was okay but he underestimated the marathon and said he should have just stuck with the half.  I ran with him for a bit and learned that he was from Toledo.  He eventually slowed to a walk and I continued on without him.  Maybe a 1/2 mile after leaving my new found Toledo friend, I came across another runner and we joined running forces so to speak.  We were both having issues with muscle cramping so we ran/walked the last part of the race together.  In the short time we were together I learned that she was from Columbus.  As we made the final turn I saw one of my good friends, that helps put on the race, and I mentioned to him that I felt like I was dying.  He said he knew but I should just hang in there because the finish was very close.  In the end I crossed the mat in 4:31:43 with a smile.  While this was by no means a PR, it was my second fastest marathon time and I finished 21 minutes faster than I did in Erie.  I really believe other than starting out too fast, I ran a smart race.  I listened and responded to my body as needed and got myself to another 26.2 finish line!  I didn't achieve my goal of a sub-4 marathon this year but I still feel that my mission was accomplished on Sunday.  I had a plan and I stuck to it and even had a great time doing it!  Oh and by the way, my Toledo friend did finish with a smile on his face!

Where do I go from here?  I would like to run at least one more half before the end of the year but I will have to wait and see if it fits into schedule or not.  Also, a few weeks ago, Emily asked me if I would consider running the Cleveland full with her in May.  At this point, I am leaning a little more towards yes but I haven't made a final decision yet.  We all know my history with the Cleveland full and to be quite honest, it scares me a bit!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

October in Review

My 7 mile "Time of Day Tuesday" run brought my October running to a close.  I was originally going to run today but the neighbors I was planning to meet decided to cancel this morning due to the weather which I was perfectly fine with. There's always tomorrow!

The October Details

October 2013 stats
122.92-- running miles
0-- spin miles
0-- jump rope fitness workouts
0-- core fitness workout
0-- Pure Barre classes
0-- Fitness App workout
0-- walking miles
122.92-- total miles

Current 2013 stats
1188.11-- running miles
67-- spin miles (3 classes)
19-- jump rope fitness workouts
1-- core fitness workout
12-- Pure Barre classes
1-- Fitness App workout
9.69-- walking miles
1,264.80-- total miles

2013 "to do list" check-in

2013 Running Goals
1. First and foremost 26.2 under 4 hours--enough said
-The best laid plans....a rough race and a finish time of 4:52....fail.....




2. Achieve a second sub 1:50 half marathon so I can remove the asterick from my current sub 1:50 PR
-I did run the RNR Cleveland 1/2 this month but sub 1:50 wasn't achieved there.  I am not sure that the opportunity to achieve this goal will present itself before the end of the year but I'm not counting it out just yet...




2013 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-122.92 miles run in October.  Mission accomplished!
2. Run 1300 miles for the year
-111.89 miles to go to complete this challenge.

2013 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Cross-train at least twice a week
-Partial success and partial fail.  I did successfully complete the 30 day wall sit challenge this month.  In total I spent approximately 46 minutes "sitting on the wall" in October.  I didn't do any other cross-training during the month though.

2. Complete a jump rope workout every day
-Not a single jump rope workout completed. And...the trend continues...
3. Drink 50 ounces of water per day (based on my current weight, this is my daily water intake need)
-Done and done well.
4. Take my vitamins daily
-Vitamin taken every single day in October.
5. Continue to choose and cook healthier foods
-16 meals made in October.  I am very pleased with this one!
6. Learn to swim...better luck this year
-Ummmm.......yeah.......ummmm
October was great overall.  I enjoyed "time of day Tuesday", running for the "love of the run" and mixing in hills during my Sunday morning runs with the girls (and sometimes boys).

Amazing sunrise at the top of one of the hills during  my last long run for the month of October

Hill running with the girls (and boys)

The beauty that is the Metroparks

 Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

What's Been Going On In My World Wednesday

It has been awhile since I have done any blog posts.  I always have good intentions to sit down and write a post and then I get distracted by something and the blog falls to the wayside once again.  With that said, here's what has been going on in my world.

Every Tuesday since my marathon I have been making a valid effort to run for a set amount of time and just enjoy the "love of the run".  I have been able to do this every week so far.  I pick a length of time I want to run and then I start my watch and switch the screen so it shows the time of day only.  The best part of these runs is seeing my distance and pace at the end.  It is very therapeutic and I recommend everyone try it at least once!

Time of Day Tuesday!!

I had no intentions of running the Inaugural Cleveland RNR 1/2 Marathon but since I found a discount coupon and most of my Sunday morning running buddies would be there, I decided to go ahead and register for it.  The original plan was to aim for a finish time around 2 hours.  Let's just say the hills took their toll on me and I finished with a 2:05 or so.  I was happy with that for a training run.  I also helped a co-worker I came across at mile 11.  I ended up run/walking with him to the finish because he was in a world of pain.  I was happy to pay it forward.  There have been many races where other runners have done the same for me!

Let's Rock

Let's Roll

I am not a huge fan of hill running but I have to admit I am starting to enjoy running them.  Dare I say it's fun?!?!  On Sunday the plan was to get a long run in and run some hills during the course of the run.  Some hills turned into six hills total.  I was not a happy runner going up the hills but once to the top, it was so worth it.  The views were just amazing!  I can't say enough about the beauty of running in the Metroparks.  It also helps to have amazing people to run with.  We also managed to convert our friend Emily to an outdoor runner from a treadmill runner!  There were times that I wanted to hurt our friend John when he would push the pace.  Truth be told, I made myself keep up with him because I know it makes me a stronger runner.  Patty, Tony, and Dan are great motivators as well with their encouraging words as we power up the hills!  Just an awesome group of friends that enjoy sharing their love of running with each other!  I think Missi described it best when she captioned our photo:  "11 miles of hills and high-fives".

The only thing missing from this picture is Missi, she was behind the camera!

Just gorgeous!

Yesterday was Tuesday so the watch was set to time of day again and I actually embraced the hills that I encountered.  I may have even said they were a nice bonus.  My friend Kim asked me who I was with that comment!  I told her she was bringing me over to the dark side (hill running).

At the top of one of the hills we conquer (this photo was taken a week after my marathon)

 Finally, it appears some of my running friends and I are famous!  We got an email to sign up for the Santa Hustle 1/2 Marathon in December and sure enough we are the featured photo in the ad!  I am not sure I would have noticed it if I just looked at the email but I had 13 text messages waiting for me after my run yesterday with our photo included!  Go us! 

Who wants our autograph?  HA!

So, that's what has been going on in my world!  What has everyone else been up to?

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!