Class of 98

Within the last 8 months or so I have reconnected with some of my girlfriends from high school. It's been pretty amazing. We aren't hanging out again trying to relive our "glory days". But, it's just so nice to get to hang with people that know you and don't judge. It just feels like home. We have been meeting up once a month or so and we all genuinely are excited to see each other and enjoy each other's company. Just like any groups of friends everyone has something that they are dealing with or going thru on some level and it gives us a chance to get back to where we all used to be some 18ish years ago! 

It's great that you always can go home!  

I'll stop my sap-fest now. But girls, so glad we have each other again! 

RunCLE training update- seeing the finish line

When I tell people that I am training to run a marathon, I feel like I might as well tell them that I'm joining the circus or starting my own band. It's insane to me every time I say it out loud!

But, a very wise woman once told me to

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And that is what I'm doing. I'm faking it, I'm pretending that I'm not scared and that its NBD. My mom, who ran half marathons before I had the guts to is my biggest fan. She also has a bad back now and can't run at this point like she would really love to. And I know that this is killing her that she can't be training with me for this too. She wants to know every detail of the training, how far I ran, how it felt, and what songs are on my playlist. No detail is too small. My work friends lovingly refer to her as coach Marilyn. Coach Marilyn asked me lately what song I wanted to finish the race to. She had a good suggestion, but what bothered me the most is that I never really visualized crossing the finish line for this. It just seems bigger than life.

And this week that changed. I actually could see it happening, I could see myself crossing the finish line of a marathon and it looks amazing! It got me really excited and even more motivated!!!

So, keep going!  We aren't even halfway there yet, its been so cold out and the treadmills all over northeast Ohio are surely getting worked overtime, but Spring is around the corner! Even if  the corner is about 5 miles down the road. And start picturing yourself finishing your race!  It will keep you moving towards that awesome day in May that hopefully wont be too hot or too cold!


Here is what last week looked like. The end of the week kind of tapered off. My boys had the flu or some kind of stomach bug, so running took a bit of a rest. They are feeling better now and hopefully this week will be awesome!

 Last week:

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
40 min- 4 mi	TBT class	60 min- 5.65 mi	TBT	flu	10 mi	rest

 
This week, if the weather is better, I am hoping to run the Mill Creek Park Half Marathon with my training buddy Lynanne. The park is beautiful and its full of hills, but we hope to make it since it would be an awesome training run! Fingers crossed for decent temps and even maybe some of this snow to melt.

Don't forget to check out the other Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors! We all get a chance to giveaway a free race entry!  If you haven't registered yet, this is a great chance to win a registration to the race distance of your choice. You know where to find me facebook, instagram, and twitter! 

Keeping my heart healthy

Back when I was in the 7^th grade I had to option to join the track team.  Since everyone else in my 16 person class was doing it, I did too. I hated it. I wasn’t good. I tried to run hurdles because I could jump over the foam ones that my coach had put together, but when it came time for a track meet, I buckled under the pressure and was too scared to jump. My other option, the shot put wasn’t great either, my arm strength was pretty minimal and I knew nothing about throwing. I generally showed up for the social part of it. I didn’t even give running a second chance, I had no desire.

Fast forward to when I lived in Athens at OU for 4 years, I was as lazy as can be. I had the best gym facility for FREE and some amazing scenic paths to run on and I would sometimes walk on them and then sometimes run from one lamp post to the next, but never really thought running was for me.

Then something happened when my mom started running. It was kind of a thing that if she could do it, then I could too! So I started running here and there and then one day I just did it, I ran 3 miles in a row on a treadmill and I felt like a BADASS!  It was the first runners high and it was so great!  I would go back and run another 3 and then another, but I was never consistent about it. I never made the time on a daily basis. 

Fast forward a few more years and one of my best friends told me that I should do a 5K with her and that I would love it. I was hesitant and not totally sure that I could make it. Before the race I was nervous, during the race I was blown away that I was actually doing it and right after the race I wanted more!  I wanted to sign up for a race every weekend!  It was so much more fun than running on my own!!! I was bit by the bug HARD!

Then the rest is what they call history.  After a little while, I figured out how to keep breathing while I ran and then it was a head game. As long as I could get it in my head that I was going to run, my body kept up! It was amazing! I might even be so bold to say that I’m getting good at it. In between being pregnant twice and losing the baby weight twice, I have done lots of races and it makes me feel good. 

Ryan had a rip in his jacket lately and his thumb slid thru it and he proudly looked up at me and said “it’s like your running shirts mom”. They notice!  Even when I think they are busy playing, they see what I am doing. That makes me proud! When I ran the Akron Marathon Relay he waited in the stands with my parents for me to cross the finish line for way longer than a 3 year old should and as my mom says, he lit up when he saw me run thru and proudly held up that sign! 

I love that Ry and Jack can see me run and know that being active is a good thing. They don't have to run or even play sports, but they have to be busy!  It's important to me that they get to be active in some way every day.

Since February is American Heart Month and the number 1 cause of death in Americans I thought I could use this as my PSA. 

I have a desk job, so it’s even more important that I get up and get active daily. I chase the kids around at night but sometimes that isn’t enough. It’s recommended that you get 20 minutes of exercise a day and this can be as simple as walking. It doesn’t even have to be 20 minutes in a row, it’s just so important to get moving!  We live in a digital world and it’s easy to sit have everything at your fingertips. Parking  a little further away to walk into work, taking the stairs, or even the longer route to the meeting you are headed to can add up. 

The other important thing is to take care of yourself. No one is going to stop you and make you go work out. I have noticed this so much since I started working in an office. There are so many days that I would rather stay at my desk and keep working or not go outside because it’s snowing or rainy out, but it’s up to me to hold myself accountable. I want to be here for a long time to see my boys grow up and someday have kids of their own and in order to do that I need to take care of me. 

Getting the right amount of sleep is a hard one for me as a mom of two busy little guys. But again, take the time to take care of you!  You will feel rested and it will help your heart. 

See the chart below for the other things that you can do to help your heart!  Don’t smoke, eat right, be active and take time for you!  Your friends and family will be happy that you did! They want to have you around as long as possible!

What will you be doing this month to get moving?  What are your favorite activities that don't even feel like exercise?

I was honored to be asked by the American Recall Center to help spread the word about heart health for American Heart Month. You can find out more information here and check out how some other bloggers are keeping their hearts healthy as well!

As always, you can find me here on facebook, instagram, and twitter!

RunCLE training update- Icy weather and better form

The last two weeks the weather has been crazy in Northeast Ohio. And, as much as I like to think I'm hard core, I'm not. I think my personal cut off is 20 degrees. If its less than that, I can be found running on the local wellness center track or even the dreaded treadmill. Luckily, this was a cutback week. So, 6 on the treadmill was manageable.

Last week I never got around to posting an update. I ran last weekend outside, the weather wasn't too bad, but we ran in some spots that were icy and I must have been running all tensed up because the rest of the weekend I ended up on a heating pad. It was kind of awful and I know I was being a baby about it, but damn. I have never had back pain like that before. I was happy that it seemed way better when I work up Monday.

So, enough complaining
Here is what the last two weeks of training looked like

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
3.5 mi	TBT	3.5 mi	TBT	Rest	8 mi	Rest
3 mi	TBT	4 mi	4 mi	Rest	6 mi	Rest

My focus is still the time during the week runs and then the miles on the weekend, but I know I haven't been hitting my total mileage for the week, so I may be cutting back on my weights class during the week to get the miles in. I know its ok to break up the long runs during the week too, so I might start to do that as the minutes increase and I cant get it all in during my lunch break. And the run 3 minutes/ walk 1 minute thing has been working great for the weekend runs. Its hard to fit it all in, but I keep telling myself that it will be ok and that something is way better than nothing. Also, running with my running buddy makes a world of difference for me!  It helps so much knowing that someone is there. Lynanne, you rock!

The awesome thing that I know I have mentioned before is that I work out on my lunch break, but even cooler, I work with lots of runners that work out on their lunch breaks too. They get it,  and we all talk about upcoming races and training. My running guru (hi Tim!) saw me running this week and pointed out something about my form that was really helpful. In my natural stride, I tend to swing my arms back and forth in front of me (kind of like a boxer) instead of by my sides. He showed me the proper way, how kids play choo choo train. This really made a difference when I focused on proper form yesterday. Robot man below sure makes it look easy! 

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Don't forget to check out the other Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors! There are 15 of us and we all get a chance to giveaway a free race entry!  If you haven't registered yet, this is a great chance to win a registration to the race distance of your choice. Also check them out, because every one of them is awesome!

Here's to a much less snowy and sub zero training week!
If you want more training updates you can follow me on facebook, instagram, bloglovin, and twitter!

RunCLE- The course

I'm a visual person and last year when I was training for the Cleveland half marathon I had the course map printed out and posted right in front of me at work to motivate me where I spend most of my time. 

Today was the day!!! I printed the full marathon course and I didn't even freak out. It's a huge personal challenge for me to run a whole marathon, but shockingly I'm not as scared as I thought I would be.  

There she is, in all her glory!  

What do you guys do to stay motivated and focused? Have you signed up for your race yet? (Susannah, you have 4 weeks to decide😃.) If you aren't racing it would be a super fun option to volunteer or just hang out anywhere from downtown to Rocky River and make a fun sign or hand me a beer as I run by you! 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I'll post a training update soon. I'm running at a new gym this weekend since it's so gross and supposed to be below zero. I'll take my chances in the treadmill instead. Happy running this weekend!

RunCLE training update- how im doing the long runs

This week was really good training wise. I can feel myself getting stronger and who doesn't like that? In my TBT class i am doing more pushups than i ever have been able to do in a row (15 this week- BAM!).
As i have mentioned before, i use my lunch break at work to hit up the gym and when work is crazy, there literally no better escape! It's so great to leave and clear my head for an hour, and it really lets me come back refreshed and re-focused.

Since this is my first marathon, i have never really put in these kind of miles and i have started to notice a little
hip pain on my right side. I was a little worried about it, but started doing some side and crab leg raises and that seems to take the pain away almost like magic. But, i would advise anyone to keep the exercises up even when the pain isn't there because that pain can creep back up and start to hurt on say your longest run of the week (speaking hypothetically, of course).

My running buddy Lynanne and i are both in training for our first marathons. She is doing the Pittsburgh marathon just a few weeks ahead of mine in Cleveland. So, luckily, we are basically on the same mileage week to week. We try to train during the week together, but always make it work to do the long runs together. We started doing the 3/ 1 method and yesterday 9 miles seemed like it flew by! We run for 3 minutes and walk for 1 and repeat until the distance is done. I don't use this for my runs thru the week, but it helps so much for the long runs. Just a year ago any miles over 5 would be daunting and now we can bust out 9 and not even freak out about it!  Its very exciting to see that kind of progress. We opted for the indoor track this weekend, with all of the crazy snow and wind!  And it was a good call.

How are you guys doing with this cold? Are you braving the outside? We are just at about 100 days out from this race!  It seems so far away, but its already February and this day will be here in no time :)

 Last week:

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
40 min- 3.5 mi	TBT class	30 min- 3.0 mi	TBT	rest	9 mi	rest

 
I did get to get some outside time in today with the boys! We threw snowballs, made snow angles, and rode on the sled as long as they could stand it. It was great to get outside a little, i think we are all getting a little cabin fever. 

If you want more training updates be sure to follow me on facebook, instagram, bloglovin, and twitter!