Welcome toFriday’s Fun Fitness Idea!

Today I’m taking the girls to the beach for a few hours. It’s my day off-I always take Friday off, minus some soft yoga and pilates moves to loosen my body, and of course a few turns on the foam roller-but I thought I’d toss this out to you. If you are BORED with your routine, GET OUTSIDE! I say this most weeks because it is so true!

Head to the park or the beach with the kids or solo.

Use the equipment available to do something physical. For instance:

1. Do some tricep dips on a nearby bench or bleacher
2. Sprint in the sand on the beach or around a track at a park
3. Do pull ups on the monkey bars (who cares what the other mothers think?!)
4. Use the stairs at the park to step up and back while working on lunges
5. Take your yoga mat and weights to the park and do your workout outside! Once you get over feeling foolish, trust me, you will feel GREAT!

Take Time Off

Think you don’t need a break from the daily workout grind? Think again! Even Paula Radcliffe admits that she takes time off of running after a marathon.

In fact, she takes off two weeks! That is more than I took off , and she is way faster and stronger than I will ever be. So take advice from her and the other pros-if you are feeling sluggish or tired or if you need a break, take it. (Check out more of her tips here!)

How can you tell if you are working out too much?

1. You are overtired. This can be due to a number of factors-working too much, taking care of the kids, not getting enough shut eye-but you do need to take some time off from working out if you are too tired; otherwise you are setting yourself up for injury
2. Your periods are changing. This can be a clue that you are over-exercising, though it can also happen if you are doing distances. If you are losing your period and you are sluggish and drawn out, you may need a break.
3. You dread your workout. Ever have those days when you just HATE the run, the lifting of weights, the core work? Maybe you are doing too much! Switch it up a bit if you can – head outside instead of to the gym or vice versa, do some swimming instead of the standard running, take your bike to the beach or mountains instead of around the block. Sometimes a change of scenery is required; othertimes a complete day or two off is what is needed.
4. You are losing too much weight. Some people don’t think this is a problem but it certainly is for some. Losing too much weight, to the point of looking more gaunt than a runway fashion model on crack, is not good! You need to have some meat on those bones, girl, so if you are losing too much weight, if people are commenting on how thin you are, if you know you are too thin but you are addicted to working out-take a break (or eat more calories!)

I’m off to the beach now with the girls, to splash in the waves and chase the birds.

Next week I’m doing a 10K on Saint Simon’s Island. It’s called Dolphin Day Race and should be a lot of fun. I’m hoping to run it at a 8:30 pace, but am pretty sure it will be more like a 9 minute mile. I’m ok with that too. As long as the knee holds up, I’ll be fine!

Ice cream is good.

Yummy!

Yep, I said it. I don’t care if it has 1,000 grams of sugar and a million calories, ice cream is good stuff.

I like it ice cold with syrup on top. Hot fudge, in particular, smothered over a brownie . . . . a sundae of sorts.

Yeah, I said it! Just like my granddad, I LOVE ICE CREAM!

And yes, you are right: I didn’t eat breakfast before my 5 miler this morning! Nope, and now i want a hot fudge sundae. For breakfast. Go figure!

Eating to Lose Weight

Guess what, mommas? You gotta eat to lose weight!

Now, I’m not saying go out and throw down eighteen hot fudge sundaes, but I am saying don’t go running around on an empty belly (as I am doing this morning!).

One of the biggest misconceptions of losing weight is that you have to starve yourself and cut back to 1000 calories per day while working out for three hours straight. Not only will you fry – run out of energy because you do not have the fuel needed to keep up this routine – but your body will say, “Holy Shit! You’re not giving me enough to run on, so now I’m going into conservation mode!”

In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine says that women shouldn’t go below 1,200 calories per day. So, if you find you are eating too little, you are doing the body no good!

Even one of the contestants on the Biggest Loser this week said he felt he had to avoid carbs and calories in order to continue losing. Guess what, he’s sabotaging his diet by doing just the opposite.

So what do you need to remember?

True if you want to lose weight you’ll need to expend more energy (ie: exercising) than you take in (ie: eating). So, burn more calories than you ingest. If you want to lose one pound per week you need to have a 3,500 caloric deficit each week. So this means through exercising (expending some calories) and cutting back on calories you can reach this deficit and lose a pound.

But you don’t want to starve your body, so you have to find the point where you are feeding your body for the exercise you are doing but you are not tricking it into thinking you are starving so it goes into save mode.

And remember, without food you will have no energy! Simple as that! If you want to run a marathon and you stop eating, you’re going to crash. Your body needs food as fuel, just like a car needs gas. Sometimes it helps to think of it in this way: I need to fuel my body. That way you’ll know you need to eat in order to go but you won’t overeat.

So what should you remember?

1. Eating is meant to fuel your body – not stuff it, not starve it. You need to eat the right types of foods and enough calories each day to sufficiently fuel the energy you are expending while not overeating.
2. To fuel your body you should be looking at eating a diet that includes complex carbs (brown rice, pasta), protein (eggs, nuts, chicken, meat) and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
3. Balance the carbs and proteins. Don’t just eat a plate of pasta; put some chicke on top to keep your body full longer.
4. Don’t skip the carbs! So many times I have heard people say they don’t eat carbs. my best friend did away with carbs, is a runner, and stopped losing weight. When she picked up some complex carbs she started losing again. Carbs are easier to burn than proteins and fat-don’t be afraid of them if you are running! Just don’t down a tub of sugar each day and you should be okay!
5. Don’t skip breakfast! Your body needs this to wake up and get going. Remember, you have gone all night long without eating-it is running on empty when you wake.
6. In addition, it is thirsty! Get up and drink a glass of water no matter what you are going to do next.
7. Eat several small meals per day instead of two large ones. Your body needs continuous fuel so it doesn’t crash. Supply it with smaller but more frequent meals to sustain your body.

A variety of forumlas exist for figuring out your total caloric needs. These vary from person to person since we all burn differently. Someone who runs three miles might burn 300 calories while someone else might burn 350. I’ll send you over here to look through some information about caloric intake.

Increasing Mileage

I have been increasing my running mileage this week. Knee seems to be doing well with the adjustment. I added on a day of running, and I plan to go eight this Saturday, which will be my longest run since Disney. I’m hoping the knee is okay, and I hope to get back into double digits next Saturday.

Don’t forget that you should not go over 10% increase each week in order to prevent injuries.

Listen to your body! Someone who is running higher mileage may have no problem with a larger increase while someone starting off might need to increase in mileage even less than this.

Now, the kids are up and all over me, so off I go! Don’t forget to eat healthfully today to fuel your body!

So I visited my mom this weekend. We had a great time. She really cracks me up. I can make her laugh easily by just being silly, so that’s how I spent the four days-in a perpetual state of silliness. Not  bad, right?

On my last evening we ate at a Peruvian restaurant. I ordered hot sauce and dumped a lot of it on the food. Then mom watched in horror as I ate a bite, pounded my hand on the table, and said, “Oh my gosh! I’m burning my face off!” over and over again. The girls laughed, too, as they are used to this behavior. I have this love for anything spicy and I try to see how spicy I can get. My the end of dinner I was sweating-oh joy! It was bliss!

After dinner I rolled out my sore knee. I spent the time on the floor saying, “Oh my gosh this hurts!” and then continuing to roll, roll, roll! I then massaged the points of pain in my leg while mom watched and shook her head with each, “Oooh! That one hurt!” I exclaimed.

Finally I told her about long distance running, and about how you sometimes have to defecate a lot- some people doing so on the side of the road – and how your toenails might turn black and how some people actually lose their nail.

As I shared these stories with mom she watched and listened and nodded and shook her head. I realized how some of the stories must sound to a non runner. Defecate on the side of the road? What?! Lose toenails-on purpose? Could it be?! Toes going numb mid-run? For fun?! And you pay to do this?

Then she said to me quite calmly, “What, did I raise a masochist?” and we both burst out laughing.

So what do you think, distance runners? All runners? Are we masochists to put up with the pain and then go back out there and pound the pavement again? Is there something in us that enjoys this, which is sometimes torture?!

I’ve written this before and I will write it again: I think that it is not that we enjoy pain but that we want to feel life fully. Experience it to the max. How else can you do that than when you stand at the starting line of a 26.2 mile race, not knowing how it will go, how it will be, and how you will feel (other than elated) when you get done?

Runners live their lives. No, we aren’t masochists. We just want to feel it all, the good and the bad, knowing that oftentimes the two go hand in hand – and that this balance makes it even more beautiful!

My birthday:
Thought I would share a funny picture of my bday. As you know I turned 25 again for the 14th year in a row. I don’t know how I got stuck on that number, 25, but it has stuck: See the candles that mom put on the cake? Then she put them back in the drawer for next year, when I will turn 25 for the 15th year in a row!

See? I am 25!

And then one of mom and me:

My mom and me

And then one for a laugh. She lives in a retirement community in Florida where the people have to be a certain age. As you know you shrink some when you age – or so it seems! – and so check out the  placement of this stop sign on the pole. Mom says it is so those who can barely see over the steering wheels will be able to see the sign without having to crane their necks and look up. I almost peed my pants when she told me this!:

Today’s Run:
Today is my day off. I moved my schedule as planned and ran back to back on the weekend. Yesterday’s run was a good and strong 4.5 with no knee pain even after running 6 the day before. Did some core and arm work this morning, and will do a 5-6 miler tomorrow. Am hoping body can cope with a nice 9 or so on Saturday. It has been a while since I have been over 7 and I really want to get back to double digits again.

Hope all of your Monday runs are good ones!

Good morning all!
Happy 39th to me. My oldest daughter has been sick so we slept together in the spare room last night. She woke at 4:30 and asked for water, and when I returned from the kitchen she said excitedly, “Happy Birthday, mommy!” Then she had a hard time going back to sleep!

I can’t believe I’m 25 30 , well, okay, 39! I’m always amazed each year about how quickly the time goes by in life. About how one day we are thinking we want children and the next we have two.  About how one day we are considering career options and the next day we are celebrating our tenth year anniversary at the same company.

It all happens so quickly! Today I was considering how much running is like life. How the same things that apply to running can apply to life, and vice versa, so today, on my off day of running (I worked on abs and arms instead), I will write about the similarities between running and life.

Hoping you enjoy your day as much as I will. Today is:  Penneys to spend that gift card I got for christmas; grocery store; and then hanging with the family. Tonight: Enjoying some Cab (my round of antibiotics for the bronchitis are over, yay, I can partake in a few glasses of red!) and catching up on the shows that I always tape but never get to watch. Tomorrow we leave for my mom’s house for the weekend. Will post pictures!

How Life and Running are Alike:

1. To live a good life you have to overcome the obstacles that you come to as you travel, and get back out and do it again even if it takes you down once in a while. Same with running. To have a good run you have to tackle the obstacles and get back out there the next day if the run is a bad one.
2. In life you have to think positively in order to live the happiest of lives. Same with running-if you want to have a good run, you have to keep positive thoughts on your mind. The minute you begin to think negatively is the minute the run turns sour.
3. Good friends are important in life, as they are in good runs. They don’t even have to run with you-or run at all! How many times have you spent a good run considering your friends: their generosities, their quirks, their caring.
4. In life, when something goes bad you have to consider why it went bad and then make changes so this doesn’t happen again. Same with running. If you have a bad run, why was it bad? What can make it better? What should you do the same and what should you change?
5. Life;s challenges make us stronger. Same with running. You may think you can’t run 26.2. You can. You just have to grow stronger in your conviction that you can.

Hoping all of your runs on my birthday are great ones!

Other News:
We are finishing up the first issue of Active Women’s Network. This is an exciting endeavour and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. This month we are focusing on the core. I interviewed a great lady today who offered wonderful informatoin about pilates, the core, and why it should be strengthened (and not just because you want to look good in a bikini, though that certainly doesn’t hurt!)

Happy Running!

Recovery Runs:

If you have been sick, take it easy breaking back into the game. I took four days off for bronchitis. I got back out yesterday, pushing the baby stroller at an easy pace for three miles, a few minutes of which I walked.  Felt good enough to actually get back out today. I did four miles, another easy pace, listening to my body to make sure it was okay.  I felt like I had my breath back-big relief! I was pretty scared with this last cold, or whatever it was. For some reason my body, which usually holds up under everything, caved , and I spent the entire day Saturday in bed.

Have you noticed your immune system when running? It seems to be great when you are doing a lot of shorter distances but when I push myself really hard it caves. Ouch! It is good to be back.

Birthday:

Holy crap batman, I’m going to be 39 freaking years old tomorrow! 39! This means:

• I was born a long, long time ago!
• I graduated high school more than half of my life ago!
• I’ve been able to buy beer for 18 years!
• I’ve been living on my own for longer than I lived with my folks!
• I’m one year away from 40! ONE YEAR!
• Chances could be that i’m half of my life over already-no, no, slow down life!
• I’m competing against the fastest women in races!

Where did the time go? I reflect this question each year because it just seems it goes so fast.

My mom sent this beautiful card to me. It told me how much she appreciates my sense of adventure and how much I live life. It made me cry. She sees that in me, and appreciates it, and it is truly my favorite quality that I see in myself.  That she sees it and loves it is so incredible.

39. Getting older, but getting faster! I run a minute and a half per mile faster than I did when I started running 12 years ago!

39. Not so bad. Yea, I’ll take it!

Excitement:

So I got an exciting email yesterday! I wrote something about frugality and exercise and First magazine is calling today for an interview! I’ll let you know details about publication when I hear something. Now, if I could get a job writing for them that would be great!

Hair Cut:

I’m getting my haircut today. I want a shorter bob. I’m nervous but excited! I hope it turns out the way I envision it. Oh well, if it doesnt at least it will be different :0) I’ll post pictures when I can.  This is what I like.

Of course this girl is gorgeous (who is she anyway, Kristin Cavalleri, have not heard of her?) So I’m hoping that the haircut will look great on me despite the fact that I’m not young, blond and a knockout lol!

Gotta run, not literally-kids up soon and it is a busy day. Hope to post some new haircut photos tomorrow!

As the mother to two young daughters, we’ve had our fair share of illnessess over the past five years. We’ve been through hand foot and mouth (ewww!), the flu, vomiting episodes, coughs and colds and congestion.

I’ve usually been lucky when it comes to being sick. I never get anything. My husband laughs about it, says that there must be something strange thing in my blood that fights off infection because everyone can be throwing up on me (during our cross country trip this was the case) and yet I don’t get sick!

Until this week.

It started with a cough and sore throat, and then it went into my chest. I woke up on Thursday night with a rattling inside that frightened me. I thought of my good friend Karen that died last year of pneumonia and I freaked out.

The next day, when I heard that same rattling in my daughter’s chest, I packed us up and headed to the doctor’s office.

I’m glad I did. My daughter had an ear infection and I had bronchitis. We were sent home with some medicine and I went to bed, where I remained all of yesterday, sleeping in this really crazy haze where I couldn’t tell if I was awake or asleep.

Today I’m feeling a bit better. I’m still weak and tired, but I do not feel like I need to go back to sleep (yet!). I’m coming out of the fog sickness, so to speak. I’m glad to have a glimmer of the other side, and I’m interested to understand how sick I have been and yet didn’t understand or face how sick I was until I was completely worn out!

I say that is because I’m a mother and we have so much to take care of that we can’t really ever be sick, but I also know this is the mind of a runner as well. I mean, who else can say they are going to run 26 miles, suffer from stomach issues and blisters and sore muscles?

So how can you tell when you should run and when you should hang up your shoes for a day or two?

• If you are running a fever, stay home. Running with a fever is not a good idea, since running will raise your temperature anyway. Plus if you have a fever you are going to need to drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration, and if you are running you are going to have to do the same thing.  If you are sick enough to have a fever, you should be letting your body rest. Period!
• Coughing is not so bad-wet coughing, not so good. If the cold has moved into your chest you should take it easy to make sure it doesn’t get worse.
• Snuffy nose? Go ahead and run. But if it is making your head hurt, take a day off. Nothing more brutal than a sinus headache on pounding feet.
• Lacking energy? If it is more than just, ” I don’t feel like running,” then don’t run. You shouldn’t be out there pounding the pavement when your body needs to rest. If you are tired, get some rest.
• Listen to your body above all. This week I knew my runs were shot. By Friday morning I knew there was no way I could work out. I took the day off, and have not run since Thursday. As runners I think we are very in tune to our bodies-we have to be, I think, to avoid injury. If you are not feeling ‘right’ then take a day of rest. It’s not going to set you back and in fact will probably help improve your running if you are only running when you feel good.

Now, I am heading to bed for some much needed rest-again! I said I would run tomorrow if I felt better, but at this point it may be Tuesday or Wednesday since just washing the dishes took it out of me this morning!

Happy running this weekend!