RunCLE- reeling it in and a training update

The past few weeks have been a struggle. There is a lot going on this month and April looks to be just as busy and on top of that we are moving. I have spent many hours freaking out in my head silently about how in the world an I going to accomplish this along with getting in all of my training miles? The short answer is that I simply am not. Something has to give and I need to start taking my own advice more and “reel it in”. I say this to the boys all the time to get them to settle down about whatever they are climbing on, screaming about, or wrestling each other to the ground. 

I have been having these thoughts about not doing the whole 26.2, but I kept shoving them aside because it’s not like me to just give up the dream of something. And I hate letting myself down. As soon as I finished the marathon last year, I was game for more!  And I know I’ll complete another one again soon, but right now, there is just too much LIFE. Last year, the days I didn’t have the boys, I ran. It was easy. I had a day each weekend and I ran and trained and then was nice and fresh for them when they came home but this year is different. I have them every other weekend and I’m fine with them hanging with nana and papa for an hour or two, but to leave them to run for 4 or more hours just seems selfish and not something that I really want to give up at the moment. I want them to be proud of what I accomplish and show them that finishing something that I start is important, but not at the expense of time with them. They are only little once and soon I won’t be cool enough for them to want me around all the time. And when they cry when I leave to run it breaks my heart and I want to just be playing with them. 

I’m surely not giving up running all together, but reeling it in and setting my sights on a half marathon PR and the 8k challenge series seems like the right thing for me to do.  I know that no one is going to love me less but I really really hate admitting that I have to scale it back. So, with that weight off my chest, I’m excited to have a little scaled back training ahead of me and get us moved in all before the big race day! I also signed up for the Pittsburgh Half with my training buddy Lynanne two weeks before Cleveland, so im looking forward to a good practice race ahead of time. Those hills in the burgh are no joke! 

The last two weeks were a little touch and go. 

Monday- core class and 1 mile on lunch break

Tuesday- 3 miles at lunch

Wenesday- 3 miles at lunch

Thursday- St pats day and Jack turned 3! So no miles and lots of fun with the boys! We all took the day to celebrate and play!

Saturday- 11 miles

Sunday- 7 miles. And this was the best run I have had in a long time. Everything just clicked! 

Wenesday- 3 miles at lunch 

Friday- 2 miles and then rough knee pain

Saturday- 6.5 miles and the decision to stick to the half this year

Sunday- Easter and a house full of people left me no time to run in the beautiful weather  

It's been not the best few weeks training wise. But, it's real life. My training bestie is no longer working with me so lunch time runs are a little more boring. I did however finally get a new training watch! OMG, so excited and can't wait to fully get used to it to track miles and pace. 

I'm looking forward to this race so much and I know it will still be just as special to me!

Have you guys had to reel it in? 

Don’t forget to follow the other amazing bloggers for a chance to win a free entry and for extra motivation! And you can find me on facebook , IG, and twitter!

RunCLE- ambassador meet up and a training update

What a great week!

I tried to play it cool, but I have been looking forward to this week since back in the fall when I was told I could be an ambassador for the Cleveland marathon again! This week we had a meet up with all of the local ambassadors! We were even able to FaceTime with Debi in Florida! Last year, it was a new fun group of people for me and everyone was so nice and welcoming. But this year, it's family! We share a bond that is hard to put into words. We lift each other up and celebrate even the smallest of victories in our group. We text each other on a bad day and cheer for each other even louder on the good ones.  It's just one of the most fun groups I have ever been lucky enough to connect with in my life! We really enjoy each other company! I think we were all so excited to spend an evening hanging out together. Kayla did an awesome job organizing! I really love these people and look forward to another get together and race weekend where we really get to enjoy each other and cheer each other on!

Mary is the bomb!

Joe, Jamie and Emily! I love these guys!!!

We finally met in person! I was so excited!

Stephani my favorite quick witted teacher! Her blog cracks me up every week! Love her!

This weeks training

Total miles: 19 miles. Not my plan at all, but the best I could do this week. 

Monday: I have started this cardio core class and it's awesome. It's 30 minutes at lunch and I get in a decent work out!

Tuesday: 4 miles on the track at lunch 10:18 pace

Wednesday: Meet up day!!! My plan was to make it my 2 workout day and run at lunch and after work before the meet up but my knee had other plans. Lynanne and I hit up the bike path at lunch and after a mile of running faster than normal (9:30ish) my left knee was in a lot of pain. Crap! We ended up walking a lot of next 2 miles. I gave it a shot after work too but my knee was in a lot of pain so I stopped after a few times around the track. I did some weights and got ready for our night out. 

Knee pain can't hurt a running selfie!

Here we ALL are! My photoshop skills at their finest! 

Thursday: After a not great running day I was excited to get back out there and take it slow and log some miles and when I arrived at the gym I discovered I brought two tops and no pants. Fail! Maybe someone was telling me to just take it easy so I listened.  I hit up the eucalyptus room and sweated it out for awhile feeling nice and refreshed. 

Friday: I have the kiddos this weekend and I knew I needed to take advantage of a little PTO so I could get in a short run. I squeezed in 4 good miles on the track and my knee felt good! I started using a patella (IT band strap) that worked and gave me some extra confidence. I kept a 10:09 pace. 

Saturday: I signed up Ry for t-ball ( look for pics in June!!!) had some fun family time, and then took the kids to the park. It's a few blocks down the street and usually a quick little trip but it was muddy there and the kids wanted to ride their bikes. 2 miles later our adventure ended with Ryan running the last block to take a little tinkle in the yard. I swear, not a day passes where there isn't an emergency stop for the rest room. Life with boys I guess!?!  

Sunday: We played in the yard, played lots of go fish and I then I snuck out of the house for a quick grocery trip and 6 speedy miles on the track! 9:53 pace! I was really excited! Thanks zippy new shoes!

The kids were not alone, thanks Nana and Papa for hanging with them! Then we had a nice dinner and some cake! Jack turns three on St Pattys day! It's gonna be a great week! 

Did you guys sign up for your Cleveland experience yet? What the heck are you waiting for? This is the LAST WEEK to sigh up for the challenge series! I know I'm not going to miss out on that fun!! You have until Tuesday to sign up! You know you want the extra medal! Go sign up now! 

We are still looking for volunteers too!! If you want to be a part of an awesome race but haven't quite made it out to run lately, then this is for you!!! Grab a friend or 20 and sign up!! You will be happy that you did! One of my favorite memories of last year was waiting with all of the volunteers at mile 25 of the Pittsburgh marathon waiting for her to come through! Its so much fun!!! I promise I'll high five you along the way!

Don’t forget to follow the other amazing bloggers for a chance to win a free entry and for extra motivation! And you can find me on facebook , IG, and twitter!

RunCLE- self-timer love and training update

As an ambassador for the 2^nd year in a row, I started to wonder how I could up my game and make it better for anyone reading my blog and following my IG account. Everyone likes a running selfie, or a picture of your shoes with the miles you run, but as I looked back, all of my pictures from last year started to look the same. 

I know that this obviously isn’t the hard hitting journalistic view on running, but I’m guessing that there is a niche of you out there (maybe?) that want to take more interesting pictures of your runs. I know that I did. Then I met my IG friend Heather in real life back in January at a training run and I asked her secret to her awesome running photos. She told me that she just used her self-timer on her phone and propped it up on whatever was nearby or she had her running buddy take pictures. It sounded easy enough.  I got brave one day at the gym and tried it. I felt a little silly taking pictures but for the greater good of my Instagram account and for the sake of more interesting photos, why not. I started just taking push up and stretching photos, some were decent, some will never see the light of day, but I was gaining confidence. I got a few really cool pictures and it’s a great way to remember the journey of this training cycle. It’s kind of my fun moment after a run to figure out a different way to get a shot. Here are a few of my favs so far. Much cooler right? 

 

I also downloaded a cool app called studio that makes editing my pictures cool that let you layer on images, different cool fonts and art. I also use Pic Stich to make collages. Do you guys use any aps that you really love? 

This week was really an awesome running week. I was able to stick to my plan more than usual and got in some great mileage. I also started a plank challenge that I have been doing daily. I’m on day #8 and it’s a great way to kick off the day! 
This past week: 26.8 miles
Monday- I took my cardio core class, this is 30 minutes at lunch and it includes burpees, lunges, pushups, planks, and lots of abs. It’s a great quick workout and it’s kicking my butt in a good way. It’s been a great way to spend a rest day. 
Tuesday- I got in 4 miles (10:17 pace) on the track during lunchtime. I felt good and strong. I love running after a rest day, I feel like I can just keep going forever (or until lunch is over). 
Wednesday- I did a little over 2 miles (10:12 pace) and then I added in a miles of speed-work. I sprinted about 3/4 the track at top speed and then walked to the start again. It felt good and I’m learning it's necessary if I ever want to pick up the pace. 
Thursday- Another lunch spent on the track for 3.5 miles (10:24 pace)
Saturday- Saturday Lynanne and I were excited to participate in the 1^st annual Niles Wellness Center half marathon. We were the only participants, but it made it feel more exciting to us! 13.1 miles on a track really is never that exciting, but we kept up the pace and had a great time. My Nike app said we did 13.1 miles (10:13 pace), but I’m a little skeptical. I’m really looking forward to this beautiful weather that is coming in to get outside and really confirm my pace. My PR an 11:04 mile. Stay tuned for more on that. Another awesome thing that happened on Saturday is that my new shoes arrived!!!!! And holy cats, I ordered my shoes Friday morning at about 5:30am and there they were, on my front porch, Saturday afternoon at 2pm! It’s always a great day when new shoes arrive, but when they arrive at lightning speed, I’m all in! 
Sunday- I had to test those new shoes and I felt like Forrest Gump. They were so cushy and I felt like I could run forever, but I had a tax appointment so I had to cut it short. But I managed to get in 3.2 extra zippy miles in (9:43 pace). This was pretty fast for me and I was stoked. 

Are you guys all signed up for Cleveland? This year they are starting the challenge series that is awesome!  You can sign up for the 5K & 10K, the 8K & half, or the 8k & full. You also get an extra medal for completing this! Just think of it as an extra training run! The cut off is early for this challenge series (March 15^th) Go sign up now and don’t miss out on the extra fun!
Don’t forget to follow the other amazing bloggers for a chance to win a free entry and for extra motivation! And you can find me on facebook , IG, and twitter!

RunCLE- march madness

Holy cow, its March already!

I love March.

I love that spring is in the air and that I can hear the little birds chirping in the morning. 

I love that we Spring forward soon and I can spend evenings after work playing outside with my boys. 

March means Shamrocks, green glitter, my favorite holiday and Jack’s St Patrick’s Day birthday! He will be turning 3 and Ryan will be registering for kindergarten!  

March means that it’s time to kick this running training into high gear!

March is my run-iversary,  at least I count it as my anniversary of running.  6 years ago, I did the Shamrock run 5K and I got bit by the bug HARD! 

In honor of my favorite holiday I want to share 17 run facts about me: Thanks to my girl Stephanie for recently doing her run facts and giving me the idea. 

1.       I love the athlinks page because it helps me keep track of how many races I have run and I like seeing progress!

2.       I started running races back in 2010 but I really never considered myself a “runner” until I was actually training for my first marathon last year.

3.       I am lucky enough to have a consistent running buddy Lynanne, and we love taking silly selfies along the route. 

4.       I love that my parents come to see me run and always make a fun sign and throw glitter (mom) to show their support.

It runs in the family!

5.       When my tennis coach made me do laps in high school, I thought it was an evil form of punishment.

6.       I NEVER thought I would be able to say that I ran a marathon, until I learned that it is all mental.

7.       Having supportive people around me of my running makes all the difference in the world. I’m talking to you mom, dad and runner friends. 

8.       Nothing blows my mind more than when someone says that I inspire them to go out and run.

9.       When I was picked to be an ambassador for the Cleveland Marathon last year I never thought I would fit in with the serious runners.  But, they are the most genuine, supportive, and inspiring group of people I have ever been lucky enough to call my friends! Check them out- they are amazing!

10.   I love using the Nike app to track my runs, and it kills me when I track an outside run as inside and don’t get to see the map of where I ran (doh).

11.   I have learned that pretty much any problem I have can be helped by a run. 

12.   I thought I would cry like a baby when I finished my first marathon, I didn’t, but I think I could have lit up all of Cleveland with my smile.  I did however burst into tears about 3 or 4 times along the way and got to cross the finish line with my Ryan. 

I'm sorry you have seen this pic a zillion times, it just never gets old to me!

13.   I get jealous when I see someone running outside and I’m heading to work. 

14.   I never thought I would run without music and sometimes it’s the most peaceful moments of the day.

15.   New shoes make me feel like I can run faster and forever.

Thanks Kell! 

16.   I keep one medal up at a time in my kitchen after a race and then replace it when the next one comes along. I’m really looking forward to moving and putting them all up on a medal rack I was given lately! 

A way cool idea I saw on a blog! (Halfcrazymama.com)

17.   Running has truly changed my life.

Here is how last week went down, it was a low mileage week for sure, but this week is already better and I have big plans for the weekend.

Total miles: 18.2 miles

Tuesday- 3.2 miles at lunch

Thursday- 6 miles on the track after work

Friday- 3 miles at lunch

Sunday- 6 miles outside with some killer hills!

I’m working on my pace lately. Generally speaking I have been able to keep about a 10:20 pace when I run inside and a little over 11 when I’m outside. I’m not sure if my Nike app is just not calibrated or if I’m just a little pokier when I’m outside, but I’m hoping that the tax return fairy will bring me a Garmin watch so that I can keep better track. I’m also hoping she knows what size shoes I need!

Are you guys all signed up for Cleveland? This year they are starting the challenge series that is awesome!  You can sign up for the 5K & 10K, the 8K & half, or the 8k & full. You also get an extra medal for completing this! Just think of it as an extra training run! The cut off is early for this challenge series (March 15^th) Go sign up now and don’t miss out on the extra fun!

What do you love about March? 

What’s your most favorite run fact?

Don’t forget to follow the other amazing bloggers for a chance to win a free entry and for extra motivation! And you can find me on facebook , IG, and twitter!