Will Run For Ice Cream

I've been a little MIA lately with the blog posts - sorry about that to the 2 of you who actually read my blog ;) Since I faced my mountain  (which by the way my mountain gave me poison oak or ivy or poison of some kind which I am STILL wearing on my legs), I've continued along my training. My Friday morning trail runs have come to an end since it's so dark outside in the early mornings. I do miss the trails. I'm trying to find a way to incorporate them into my training. But as the mileage is ramping up, it's harder for me to sneak in extra miles. I'm sore, and achy. Last week my mileage dropped a little, but I ran with a faster running buddy. She pushed me to an 8:48 pace for our 5 miles. I do believe that was my fastest 5 miles. Then Saturday I had another good run. I ran 15 miles with a 10:30 pace (which was speedy for me). So far so good with the training. In just 2 weeks I'm attempting a half on Saturday and a half on Sunday. Yeah, I don't k...

I am participating in a Mommy Blog Tour. Today's post is by Becky Reese from Sexy Mom's Running Club . Marathon Training as a Busy Mom Seems Like Craziness by Becky Reese I love the feeling that running gives me.  Okay - I love the feeling that comes at the end and the rush of completing a race.   However, there is no greater rush than crossing a marathon finish line! As a busy mom of five, I know how difficult it is to even think of training for a marathon, but I am here to tell you it is possible! I’m going to give you some tips on how to do it. I suggest looking for a 4-day training calendar.  With kids, it seems that something always comes up, so with three days available to swap out for the hard core training days, it makes it much more possible. That being said, you must find a training schedule that works for you, and only YOU! To find the best training schedule for your - I recommend Googling “four day marathon training”.  Here’s why: what w...

I faced my mountain today. My stress level lately has been through the roof. I feel as if I don't have a lot of control over a lot of aspects in my life. It's as if things are just swirling around me, and I am grabbing to try to get a grasp of the swirling circumstances. After a tumultuous week, I came to the realization that instead of focusing on the swirling mass that I can't control, I need to focus on things that I can control. And here comes the Mountain. I'm a novice trail runner. I'm extremely directionally challenged. I can't really read a map. And I'm clumsy.  I have only ever run a very short loop of trails by myself. I've been way too scared to attempt anything 'major' on my own. But there is this Mountain, the red trail, described as the most difficult, the most challenging, and it climbs to the highest peak of the trails that I've been running... my Mountain. And as the week has progressed, I've had this burnin...

Today has been a reflective today for me. And I started thinking about all of the things that running has taught me.  Running has taught me that  I'm stronger than I ever thought I could be ( I finished my first marathon at 40) Sometimes when my body says rest, when my mind says no, that I need to listen to my body.  Stretching really is important, especially when it comes to Plantar Fasciitis. Sometimes I allow myself to be weak mentally and not push through runs when I have it in me to do more. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that running gives me.  I am setting a role model for my son when it comes to fitness.  It has allowed me to be a part of a group of awesome people   Once a Runner, always a Runner Running has taught me balance and discipline.  Running is more than just putting on a pair of shoes, strapping on some gadgets and burning some calories. Running has truly changed my life.  ...

This week was a drop back week for me. I was able to get in a 7 miler on Tuesday, but the rest of my runs this week have been short ones. I've been rushed on time, and my knee has been bugging me a little. The humidity dropped so I've had very nice temps in the mornings though which has been a nice change. Today's run I was almost hit while running. Let's just say I was very surprised when they ran out in front of me. :) It sure got my heart started on my very hilly 5 miler today. They stood for a very long time and just watched me. Have you ever had a run in with nature while running? 

If you've been following my blog, then you know that I've started running some trails once a week for cross training. And I have to say with each passing week, I like it more and more. In fact, I ran 13 miles (road) yesterday. And today, I just wanted to get in a couple of trail miles. So on my way to the grocery store, yes the grocery store, I decided to stop off at some trails and get in a couple of miles before doing my grocery shopping. The bugs were still horrible, but it was a nice run. This is the first time that I've ever run trails by myself. It was a little unnerving to run by myself. And I would much rather run with others. But I'm proud of myself for doing this today. It was nice to get in a couple of miles this morning. I will admit that running trails seemed a little scary to me since I am a road runner. But I'm finding that trail running is a great addition to my overall running. I almost fell today. And I did fall once (into a...

I've never been one to enjoy strength training. In fact, unless I'm with a group of people, or taking a class, I find it really hard to make myself do it. But years ago, Hubby decided to get a bowflex. I had my doubts then if we'd ever use it. The answer is.. no we did not. It's used more to 'dry clothes' than build or tone muscles. In fact, I'm in the process of selling it. When I do any strength training at home, I use my free weights. But a couple of weeks ago, I decided to do a few reps and Lil Man was amazed by it all. Today, as I was working on the computer, I heard a noise. I looked over to see what he was into, and this is what I found. He was 'working out'. It was beyond cute, but it was also an "aha" moment. Sometimes we can find inspiration when we least expect it. And our children are always watching, even when we think they aren't. So, what did I do? I stopped what I was doing, and went and 'worked' ou...