Do You Typically Follow Some Type of Formal Running Plan?

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Over the years, I have slipped into and out of formal training plans depending on my running goals.

I trained for two marathons by following Hal Higdon’s plans; I’ve trained for numerous halfs and shorter races by using a variety of plans or making up my own based on my current level and goals.

When it comes to speed, I always need some type of motivational push, because even though I love speed training, it’s not something I will do if I don’t have a set plan in place. I won’t wake up one morning and think, hey, let’s run fartleks today! If I want to try to get faster, I have to make a conscious effort to follow some type of plan for speed. Otherwise I slip back and stay in my 9:30 range.

I’m not in a formal training plan right now. Instead, I’m running four days a week, but with no emphasis on speed or, really, distance. I am not even wearing my Garmin, though I do know the distance around the neighborhood so I know how far I am going when I go. I’m not working toward any goal – to go faster or go farther – so I really don’t pay much attention to how far I go or how fast.

However, I have another friend who is not training for any major race yet who still follows a training plan to stay motivated and in shape. While she may not do all of what the plan entails, if she’s thinking she may want to eventually do a 10K she’ll loosely follow a 10K plan. In the past, she’s followed part of a half marathon training plan just to remain motivated while increasing her mileage. She didn’t do a race, but she wanted an incentive, a push, to get her out the door.

When I’m not formally training, it seems I always drop back into the same pace and run for about the same distance: 9:30 for 4 miles. I don’t go much farther, unless I include a long run for the week (which I haven’t been doing lately to give my body a rest) and I never run faster than that unless I’m really pushing it. So I wondered today as I did my yoga if I should sometimes pick up a formal training plan even if I’m not training for a particular race. Would it make me a better runner? Help me pick up my speed a bit?

When I’m not training, though, I enjoy the easy runs. The shorter runs. The runs when I can kind of lose myself in my head instead of checking my watch on a constant basis.

I know many of you are always training for something, whether it’s a long or short race, a PR for time, or another type of event, like triathlons or cycling.

Which makes me wonder this: Are you always following some type of training plan, or do you reserve plans for specific races and spend the rest of your time, when you aren’t training, doing the daydream running I am in right now?

 

Filed Under: A Fit Life, May 2012 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sometimes You Need Speed Work; Sometimes You Need to Rest: Running & Life

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

As I lolled about in bed this morning before opening my eyes for the day, I thought about this:

Sometimes in running, you need to do speed work; and sometimes, you need to rest. The same is true in life.

Sometimes you need to go out there and do a zillion and one things, and then sometimes you need to take a step back, breathe, regroup.

For a runner, a marathoner, a triathlete, or any type of athlete, these often go hand in hand.As you gear up for a race, you go harder and harder and harder; after the race, you might stop, reflect, recuperate. Get a massage. Go for wine with friends. You slow down not only in training, but in life as well. Give your body a chance to get ready for the next high-energy task at hand.

I’m in the rest mode right now. Not because I just raced. I mean, it’s been months since I’ve raced. Nearly a year! I’ve trained for a few races, but my body reminds me time and again, when training gets heated, that I’m not really cut out for this right now. For whatever reason, I need to slow down. Take a breather. Take care of myself.

I’m getting better about reading the cues: not sleeping well at night, bad headaches, muscle aches, a tendency to over-think everything. Getting as cranky as a toddler with no nap.

So I’ve taken a step back. I’ve dropped my weekly running miles and cut out the bike for a few weeks. I’ve ramped up the yoga and meditation to get my body back to where it needs to be. I’ve simply, well, stalled.

The problem is, I have always been a full force person. A go out and do it kind of girl. My biggest regret ever would be to wake up one morning and realize I hadn’t done absolutely every single thing I could do, I wanted to do. So I go out and do, do, do. I think that’s part of my love for distance running. I go, go, go until I stop.

When I was younger, I did, did, did until  I collapsed, which was the only way I wound up in rest mode. Same went with running. I’d go so hard I’d overdue, then get injured, then have to take a break. Rest came because it had to, not because it was time.

I’m trying to get better about stopping before the collapse. I’m proud of myself right now for understanding I need to cut back some miles, sleep a little more, chill a little more.

I miss the craziness of training full force, though. I miss my twelve to fifteen mile bike ride on Tuesday. Miss my early morning Saturday long run. Long for the excitement a good anticipated race brings.

Taking it easy is hard. I read about people doing these great rides and runs, and though my body says no, my mind says, TAKE ME! I WANT TO GO, TOO!

Maybe it’s good to know when to slow down, but it is still unwelcome as the uncle who belches the entire ABC song at your fortieth birthday party.

What are your clues that it’s time to take a breather? And when you hear them, do you listen?

Filed Under: A Fit Life, Health and Running, May 2012, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Long Distance Southern Cycle, in Photos; or, What Motivates YOU to Exercise?

April 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Every Friday I head out on my bike to explore the South.

Some days I go to the beach and cruise close enough to the ocean to taste the salt on my tongue.

Other days I head to the country. I love taking the back roads. There is something about being away from people and in the middle of the country that makes me fall in love with cycling over and over again.

I never dread exercise, but I think that’s because my mindset isn’t that I have to go the fastest or the farthest; it’s that I can get out there and be a part of something bigger than me. To me, that is living life. To me, that is when you really experience all there is out there.

Of course, that could also be my excuse for never pushing myself to the extreme. Could I get down to an 8 minute mile while running? Possibly. A 20 mph speed on my bike? I guess it’s probable. Are those my goals? Not really. I find when I push myself too hard, I forget to stop and enjoy the ride (or run!) and find myself dreading the journey.

Someone once said Life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey, and for me that goes for exercise, too. Crossing a finish line is extraordinary, don’t get me wrong; but if I don’t enjoy the miles that comes before that yellow tape, I’m not likely to do it again.

So while I can’t package the scents of jasmine and fresh air and the sea, I can take along my camera and snap photographs along the way. (And yes, this does slow me down, I know! But, it’s so much fun.)

Here, a pictorial of my last long cycle through the south in the springtime. (Click on the photos for a larger, clearer view!)

This bridge begins my ride. Some days, blue herons sit on the bank.

I always stop here for a minute and watch the horses. Yes, not good when watching my pace, but who the heck cares?! They are beautiful!

LOVE this two lane back country southern road! Especially the little auto shop, which is really a shack, with a junk yard in the back, and the trailer, which seems to be plopped down in the middle of a field where someone has decided to live. I always wonder about those people.

Only in the south can you get guns AND shrimp at the same time!

View coming in. Some days the water is high, and some days it’s not there at all. When it’s gone, the racoons play in the mud.

Final ride, about 12 1/2 miles of quiet country streets.

What motivates YOU?

 

 

 

Filed Under: A Fit Life, April 2012, Biking/Cycling, Triathlon Training Tagged With: , , , ,

Changing A Back Flat Tire on Your Bike: Success!

April 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

So I fixed my first flat tire yesterday.

A second grader told me it was real easy, and he gave me step by step instructions that included things like

  • get a screwdriver
  • take off the tire
  • put on the new tube
  • pump it up

Super easy, he said with a shrug. He does it all the time.

I considered hiring him for the job, but I thought:

  1. That would be strange, and
  2. I really need to learn to do this on my own

So I gathered together my requisite ‘tire changing items’

And my laptop, tuned to this video from Schwinn

I got everything set out in my driveway and turned on the video.

I watched it about fifteen times, attempting but failing to find the rear wheel release lever to get the back tire off.

I asked my Twitter friends for help, of course

Then I You Tubed another video, and, again, spent a few minutes attempting to figure out where the rear wheel release lever might be.

I was confused

Then my husband came home, and he looked.

He told me the bad news: My bike doesn’t have a rear wheel release lever. Then he got out this

And showed me how to get off the wheel.

Yay for hubby!

We deflated the tube, put on the new inner tube and got the tire back on the bike before realizing I’d purchased a tire with a presta valve. And, of course, we didn’t have an adapter.

Luckily, my neighbor did.

Today I took the bike for a spin and the tire held up, so apparently I did it right.

My suggestion to those of you learning to change a bike tire? First . . .

  1. Check first to see if your bike has a rear wheel release lever, which makes the process much easier. Plus, you don’t have to carry tools on your long rides, which is what I’m going to need to do now in case of a flat while I’m twelve miles out. And
  2. If you get a tube with a presta valve, purchase the $1 adapter so you can use your regular bike pump

Then, check out this video from Schwinn that shows how to change bike tires.

Filed Under: A Fit Life, April 2012, Biking/Cycling, Triathlon Training, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Running in Rome

April 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Rome. And I don’t mean Georgia.

Italy. Wow. What can I say? Beautiful accents, incredible sites and several nights of more than ten hours of sleep.

You see, once you have kids you don’t sleep more than a few hours at a time. Ever.

By the third day, my husband was afraid I was sick. I told him No, I just needed to catch up for not really sleeping much these past almost eight years.

While I didn’t run in Rome, I did snap pictures of a runner heading down the Tiber. So I was associated with working out even if I wasn’t technically working out. That counts, right? Look at what a beautiful run we I he had:

We did a lot of walking, so I counted that as my form of cardio for the five days.

But mostly I ate. Salami and cheese and tomatoes. A lot of tomatoes. Pasta. Pizza. Gelato.

Did I say I loved Italy? Just look at this smile on my face:

We saw all the traditional spots – Vatican, Forum, Colosseum – along with some great cafes and ristorantes and book stores off the beaten path. We drank a little vino (Italian, of course) and learned a few new Italian words.

I got into the culture so much I told my husband this summer when I’m home with the kids we’ll be learning Italian.

I threw a coin in Trevi Fountain, so we have to return. Knowing the language will come in handy.

The trip was great, and restorative, and it left me with a new perspective on life, because that’s what travel does: it shows you how big it all is, and how little it all is at the same time. And how much is still out there ready for me to explore. My creative juices began to flow. I thought of a new movie script to write, a new business idea, a few new article topics.

I thought about training, and where I want to go from here.

Which leads me toTri Time!

Once home, I got back on the workout wagon. I’ve done several runs and tomorrow I cycle. I have about six weeks until my first tri of the year and I think I’m ready. I could probably do the Olympic but I’m not making any decisions until I’m only a few weeks out. I’ve learned since having children and dealing with work and trying to accommodate, well, life and all that goes with it, that it’s best if I go with the flow and make plans not too far out in advance.

I have to start speed work, too. You know, later. First I’m going to eat some jelly beans. And think of Italy:

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

 

What are your fitness goals for the next month?

 

Filed Under: A Fit Life, April 2012, Triathlon Training Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Awesome Giveaway! Gifts for You OR a Special Lady in Your Life!

November 7, 2011 By 8 Comments

****WINNER SELECTED, CONTEST CLOSED! *******

 

Looking to pamper the lady you love . . . or yourself? With this giveaway you could do a little of both!

KMR Communications, Inc. contacted me about giving one fabulous reader all of these great gifts, and I jumped at the chance.

The thrifty side of me thought, “Oh yay, holiday gifts for women I love!” But the selfish side of me thought about how much I would love to win the body serum!

So what can you win for a friend/sister/lover/daughter/mother or yourself? A makeover from head to toe!

Grab a cup of java; this could take a while!

 

Take Her to the Bar . . . for Better Abs!

 Joey Decker, a dancer and owner of the Burbank, CA Bar Method Studio, guides you through exercises that will elongate muscles, firm and tone the jigglies, and help you get strong, fit abs, narrow thighs . . . and it takes just thirty-seven minutes! I don’t know about you, but I could use this workout!

MSRP:$20

The Bangles . . . on her Wrist . . .


 

 

 

 

Want to be bejeweled? What girl doesn’t? The lucky winner will receive two bangle bracelets similar to the one show above from Bombay Fashions, one of the largest online retailers for fashion jewelry.

Skin that Glows

 

 

 

 

 

Looking to exfoliate and moisturize? BrilliantFX, a body serum, contains lactic acid and Vitamin E to exfoliate and moisturize. Says co-founder of Trinity of Youth, the company that manufacture’s BrilliantFX, “By using naturally occurring medicinal agents that have been used for thousands of years, we can now offer out unique mixture that both alleviates dry, cracked skin and improves the appearance of aging skin on the body.” Sounds good to me!

MSRP $39.99

Hair You Love!

 

 

Piero and Luigi Pirri, brothers with hair salons in Connecticut and New York, have created a line of natural hair care products that includes as an ingredient Bergamot, which is an essential oil that comes from a fruit native to Calabria, Italy. The winner will receive shampoo, conditioner, serum and leave-in conditioner. Each product has been created to lock in moisture, which makes it a perfect product line for winter.

MSRP: Over $80

The Nails Have It!

 

Winter is here, which means skin will begin to dry if not cared for properly. Minus417 specializes in creating products that contain natural active components, such as select minerals from the Dead Sea and unique plant extracts from France. The winner will receive this kit, filled with hand moisturizer, foot moisturizer, cuticle oil, nail buffer and nail file.

MSRP: $39.48  

And Speaking of Nails . . .

Once her nails are looking great from all of the pampering in the Minus417 kit, she’ll be able to doll them up with these fun fingernail tips from Pretty Woman. The winner will receive two airbrushed nail kits! MSRP: Starting at $5.99 per kit  

How Can You Win?

It’s easy! Comment below for one chance to win; tell me the one way you love to spoil yourself, whether it is a product, an activity or just vegging on the couch in front of a good show!

Enter additional times by doing the following:

Become a new follower on twitter @mamamarathoner for 1 extra chance; comment here that you have followed me after doing so,and leave your twitter handle so I can follow back!

Like me on Facebook for TWO extra chances! Report back here, leaving two comments in the comment section below along the lines of I’m a Facebook Follower!

Share the joy! Tweet about this contest for one additional chance to win! Report back by pasting your tweet in the comment section. Please limit this tweet to one time per day so you don’t drive your followers crazy!

Don’t forget to come back and leave the above comments for your extra chance(s) to win!

Winner will be chosen by random.org on Friday, November 11th, and will have 48 hours to claim his or her prize. If no one comes forth during that time, a new winner will be selected through the same method.

Prizes will be shipped by KMR Communications, Inc.

And here is my liability claim . . . I accept no liability, period, even if you don’t like the stuff (how could you not?!) or you are sensitive to the products or you don’t have the energy to make it through the entire Bar Method workout.  I’m simply here to give away some great prizes!

Filed Under: A Fit Life, Giveaways Tagged With: , , , ,

Put Down the Sugar Crack, Kid, and Walk Away; Or How to Dump the Pounds of Halloween Candy You Now Possess

November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Halloween night we set out around 6:10, a sick kiddo in tow (don’t worry, I pumped her full of Tylenol to bring down that 101 fever so she could at least hit up a few houses before heading back to bed, because that’s how I roll).

An hour later, we returned home with this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, we now have in our possession enough candy to rot the teeth of all children ages 1-18 residing in the southern portion of the United States.

My children, stoked.

Our dentist, smiling, dreams of yachts dancing through her head.

My husband and I, to say the very, very least, quite fearful and, well, sick and tired of hearing, “Can I have a piece of candy now? Please? Please!” Stomp, stomp, stomp. “But I’ve only had five today!”

Do you know what it’s like to have a child who, as a toddler, scoured candy at the checkout line, picked up a few bars, and sniffed it the way a hunting dog tracks the ground?

And now, to have in our possession, a hundred bars of chocolate?

Not good.

Typically I toss out candy handful by handful until it is all gone, but this method takes way too long and in the interim we fight almost daily about how much candy she wants (8 pieces) versus how much I will allow her to eat (1).

Yet I don’t want my children to feel completely deprived.

Sharon Stone, director of operations at MindStream Academy, a co-ed health and wellness boarding school for teens who want to get fit, says, “One of the most important things to keep in mind is that keeping Halloween healthy can’t be about deprivation. If you keep your kids from candy altogether or are too tight-fisted when handing it out, your children’s desire to gobble it up will only intensify. It’s the classic forbidden fruit principle. Instead, make Halloween about enjoying treats in moderation. Try to achieve a balance between candy, healthy foods, and activity.”

So what can you do to strike a balance between a few bars and an entire semi-sized slab? Here, a few ways to dump the candy crack and return to a state of normalcy after Halloween:

  1. Enjoy in moderation. Let your kids choose their favorites from their pile and make a deal about how many pieces per day can be consumed for the first few days, when the memory of Halloween is the freshest in their minds. We do two pieces. And we do this for only three days. After that, the candy bag is hidden and I try to deter them from having daily treats.
  2. Balance eating with exercise. Says Stone, “After the trick-or-treating buzz has faded, make it a rule that no one gets to consume candy calories without first burning them. In order to eat a leftover treat, your kids will first have to play outside or participate in some other type of physical activity. This is a great time for some family bonding time too—play a game of kickball together or get everyone rounded up for a lap or two around the neighborhood.”
  3. Freeze it. Yep, that’s right! JJ Virgin, host of TLC’s Freaky Eaters, says the beauty of frozen treats are you’re liable to break a tooth off if you try to take it out and eat it right away. (Explain this to the kiddos first, please, so they don’t give it a try.) Freeze the treats you’ve collected and only take out a few when you want. This way you and your children can’t walk by and grab a handful several times a day (or an hour).
  4. Welcome the Great Pumpkin. Now that Halloween is over and the kids have gorged on some sugar, it might be time to begin ditching the treats. You can do this a bit at a time, as I’ve done over the years, or, and I love this idea because my kids are still young enough to believe in it, you might introduce the Great Pumpkin. Remember the Great Pumpkin, who flew around delivering toys to girls and boys? Stone offers this idea: Have your children choose a few treats to keep at the house. Then leave the rest outside for the Great Pumpkin, who visits the home and exchanges gifts for the candy you’ve left.
  5. Find a buy back program. A dentist in our town offers wooden nickles that can be exchanged for toys. Some give away a dollar per pound for leftover candy. Find one in your area and trade it in for cash or prizes.
Filed Under: A Fit Life, Fit Kids, Kid Stuff Tagged With: , ,

Relearning the Love of “Just Exercising”

October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

So it has been a long few months for me. I was supposed to do a century ride – cancelled due to sickness.

A 10K – did it, then got sick after.

A sprint triathlon – cancelled because I was afraid of getting sick.

A half marathon – cancelled because I don’t want to get sick.

My race season has amounted to little more than 6 miles followed by four hours of feeling like poo poo.

It’s sucked, in other words.

In the meantime, I keep thinking about what I ‘want’ to do but am afraid to do. Go more than five miles? No way! Last time I did six I got so sick I had to sit down in the grass twice while walking across my daughter’s soccer field!

Ride more than 10 miles? No! What happens if I get out there and start to feel poorly?

Instead, I’ve been doing short sessions.

This Sunday, I ran 3.5 while my kids rode their bikes. There was a lot of stop and go and doubling back and racing up and down the same stretch of road while they played in the dirt.

Yesterday I did 8 miles on my bike and then took two additional rides with my family – a 2 miler and a 1 or so miler – later in the day.

And you know what?

It has been fun.

I feel like stepping back from having my mind set on particular goals – a sub 2 hour half, or a 24 minute 5K – has enabled me to really enjoy what it is I’m doing. I’m not so serious about it all right now. I don’t care if I run fast (in fact, I’m afraid to!), but I just want to run. I’m afraid to run far, so I just go.

It has taken a few weeks to get to this point. To not be so nervous if I miss a day of running, or only put in a single digit number on my bike. I have slowed down some, and while it was tough to do, I’m finding it’s kind of enjoyable.

Okay, really enjoyable, but that doesn’t make me sound competitive at all!

Do I want to go farther and faster in the future? (Now say that three times!)

I do! I really, really do.

But for now, I’m doing what I have to do to stay healthy. And until I figure out what is exactly going on with my crazy system, this is what has to be done.

So for now, you may not find me at the start line of any races, but you will find me lagging behind my daughters, who can put in a mean 9:30 minute mile on their bikes!

And, chances are, I’ll be laughing as I go.

How do you reconnect to working out when your training schedule has gotten too hectic?

Filed Under: A Fit Life, October 2011

Spinning on the New Schwinn! A Great Ride, and a So So Run

October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

So, this week has been a struggle of ups and downs.

The downs? My running continues to be an uphill battle. I lace up and get out, but I’m walking a lot and huffing and puffing when I do jog. My pace, which was down around 9:15 for a while, is now hovering in the mid-10s and sometimes the low 11s. A 5 mile run that used to take 45 minutes now takes 54. Ouch.

It’s disheartening, to say the least. Since getting sick the last time, and then experiencing flu-like symptoms for four hours after the two runs that followed the last sickness, I have not been able to get my breathing coordinated or my pace up.

I am simply slogging through the mire, putting in the motions, and, above all of the drudgery when out there, I get home and wind up having a lot of aches and pains that I normally wouldn’t experience doing such short, easy runs. My hip hurts. My ankles hurt.  I feel I’ve aged about ten years in the past two months! Which makes me mad, because I was in such a good place with my running before all of this started.

But on a good note: I got my new Schwinn!

As I posted before, I was chosen as a Joy Agent for Schwinn bikes, and my new Prelude arrived at my local bike store (LBS in biker’s terms – I know, as I’m learning them!), monkeywrench, last Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I picked her up on Wednesday, so excited to see how sweet she looked and to feel she was lighter compared to my old – but still lovely – Schwinn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bike did not come with a water bottle, and in my excitement I failed to notice. So, I haven’t been able to do a longer ride,  but I did take her out for 7 miles last week and it was wonderful! I was able to easily hit 17mph, which for me is near racing speed (I did about 18 during my sprint tri). It was an easy pedal, so I’m hoping that’s a result of the new bike and not the fact that I haven’t cycled in a while and was overly eager to do so!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus, cycling didn’t make me sick!

But the best thing? Well, it has to be the experience itself. There’s nothing like getting out and experiencing life. Cycling is such a great way to do this.

 

 

Today I did a 5 miler and followed it up with a cycle around the neighborhood with the kids! So far, feeling well. Who knows? Maybe I will one day be mamacycler rather than mamamarathoner . . .

 

Filed Under: A Fit Life, Biking/Cycling, Schwinn, Uncategorized

How Do You Schedule Races?

September 21, 2011 By 2 Comments

Seems like I’ve hit the craziest time of racing season.

This weekend I have a 10K; October 8, a sprint tri; and November 5th, a half marathon.

I didn’t intentionally schedule races this way. In general, I take a month or so before events, and for a number of reasons. First, child care is tough to come by. I’m lucky to have a mom who has newly retired and lives close enough to come and hang out for the weekend; she’ll be watching the kids for this weekend’s 10K as I race.

Money is also an issue. Racing fees are crazy these days! I’ll sound old here, but I remember when you could pay $25 for a race AND get a t-shirt and fully stocked goody bag! My last tri: over $75!  Racing isn’t cheap, so I try to pick and choose carefully.

Also, my body requires more rest these days. I’ll post soon about some health issues I’m having, which may make long distance running a thing of my past; but, I’m still trying to swallow that thought down without puking it back up, so I’m gonna put that post on hold.

However, I can say this: A 14 mile run isn’t as easy as it once was. Recovery takes a bit longer, and I find the more I push myself on a steady basis, the more likely I am to pick up whatever buggies the kids carry home from school. They stay well, I end up sneezing, coughing, or hunkering down in bed for a few days. Not good.

On the flip side of all of this, there are only so many races nearby, and most of ours take place in the fall and early or late winter months, when the heat of the south has dissipated and left behind some coolness in its wake. Basically, you have to take advantage when you can, which is probably the biggest reason I’m doing three races nearly back to back.

How do you determine your racing schedule? Do you try to pick and choose so you have a balanced schedule, or do you decide based on price?

 

Filed Under: A Fit Life, September 2011 Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,