Category Archives: Running

A Thousand Miles // The Long and Winding Road

One-Mile Pace: 7:50
Long Run: No long run this week.
Weekly Mileage: 17 Miles

I’m still learning that marathon training is never the straight path I feel it’s supposed to be… life happens, and you have to adjust accordingly. But adjusting always drives me crazy. The little naysayers in my head take over and I start to worry that I won’t make it back.

Whether I like it or not, though, here I am. After a few busy weeks and a bit of a detour, I’m ready to get back on the road… and working to overcome the nagging feeling that I can’t.

Three weeks of no distance means that right now I’m running shorter distances more days and working back up to my regular weekly mileage. 17 this week, 20 next. Soon I’ll take the plunge back into a long run, and then it’s on to the finish.

I’m at a point in my training now where I need some smooth sailing, so here’s hoping that nothing else gets in the way.

If you ever find yourself in the same boat (we all do) here’s a great guide for how to get yourself back on track.

6 Comments | Posted on: August 19, 2013 | Category: Life, Ramblings, Running

Alfred Morris and Mason Crosby Talk Home Fitness

As part of a new partnership with Lenovo that launches today, I had the chance to ask two pro football players about their off-season workouts. Here, Alfred Morris, of our own Washington Redskins, and Mason Crosby of the Green Bay Packers have some tips for how to fit exercise into your routine at home.

Football fan or no, I think you’ll find them useful. I especially love to hear that Mason is a fan of yoga, since I know that, personally, I couldn’t get by without it.

How do you fit exercise into your day to day life?

P.S. Questions about my new partnership? Let me know! Just rest assured, I won’t be posting anything here that I don’t love 100 percent, and you shouldn’t expect any new sales-y content. Just me, like always… with a little extra help and opportunity.

1 Comment | Posted on: August 7, 2013 | Category: Interviews, Life, Running

Boilermaker Bonus Video

Did I mention that Mark ran the whole 15k with a camera strapped to his chest?

Here’s a little bonus video he put together from the footage, just in case you were wondering what it’s like when 18,000 people descend upon a town of only about 60,000 just to run like hell and drink like crazy.

The short version? It’s pretty great.

4 Comments | Posted on: July 24, 2013 | Category: Running, Travelogue

Race Weekend in Utica

It’s always nice to get away, even if its just for a short time. Our trip was full of good food, laughs and lots of long naps… which, after a nonstop couple of weeks, is just what we needed.

And as a little extra bonus, look who we saw!

2 Comments | Posted on: July 17, 2013 | Category: Running, Travelogue

A Thousand Miles // 5 Tips for Running on Vacation

One-Mile Pace: 7:50
Long Run: 9 Miles
Weekly Mileage: 16 Miles

Our long runs are getting longer and we’re starting to count down the days until we leave for this race — but since I’m headed to NYC in just a few days, right now I’m busy working on how I’ll keep up with training once I’m there. Here are the top five best tips for running on vacation that I’m going to try to remember on my trip to Alt…

1 Comment | Posted on: June 17, 2013 | Category: Life, Running

A Thousand Miles // A Note on Boston

Sorry it’s been so quiet around here these past few days! I’m finally back up and around and a little late to commenting on this, but I wanted to share my thoughts nonetheless…

In my mind, Boston has always been a unicorn. I’ve wanted to run the race since my first step out into the cold… but I’ve never known if I could. You see if you don’t run, you might not realize that Boston isn’t just any marathon. Boston is a victory lap, an exclusive club. If you’re running Boston, you’ve already won.

To qualify for the Boston Marathon under new qualifying standards, I would need to cut just over an hour off of my marathon PR (personal record). And Mark would need to run close to 7-minute miles.

Only serious runners qualify for Boston.

2 Comments | Posted on: April 18, 2013 | Category: Life, Running

Can treadmill running hurt your speed?

One-Mile Pace: 7:50
Long Run: 4 Miles
Weekly Mileage: 9 Miles

So we’re definitely still recovering, and taking it slowly as a result, but remember what I said about resting to run better? Well I might have some proof, because this week, on my 4 mile run, I broke my mile record! I was able to push the pace up by at least 10 seconds, and maybe even a little more since I took it down to 7:40 at the end.

But (ever the over-analyzer) as my pace begins to improve, I’m starting to worry about the amount of running we’ve been doing on the treadmill.

Usually this wouldn’t be a problem — since in my mind, there really is nothing worse than the ‘mill. But lately my hatred of the cold has managed to edge out my hatred of the hamster wheel enough to force me to suck it up and hop on board.

The truth is, for speedwork and tempo runs the treadmill can be great, since it’s so easy to keep an even tempo and push the pace. The problem is that at least a small part of that ease comes from the flat surface, lack of wind resistance, and help from the belt (it pulls your feet along at least a little).

Now that the weather has warmed up and I’m dying to be outside, but I can’t help but feel that it’s a little harder to keep up with the same faster pace I’ve been able to churn out at the gym.

I’m torn here. Some folks have trained for whole marathons using a treadmill, but it might be the case that they’re adjusting their incline to make up for a lack of other pressures (and I’ve been taking a little too much advantage of the break). Race times are almost always directly related to the way you train, so what do you think? Can the treadmill hurt your speed?

Either way, I think I’ll avoid the rat race for a bit… the sun is calling my name. Who could stay indoors?

5 Comments | Posted on: April 8, 2013 | Category: Life, Running

Resting to Run Better

One-Mile Pace: 8:00
Long Run: 3 Miles
Weekly Mileage: 6 Miles

Oh those numbers are sad… I know.

Last week, our whole house was under quarantine… first Austin, then Mark, then me. I blame the weather (naturally). But as you can see, a few runs were missed… which is always the worst. I have the hardest time taking off, especially when I feel like I’m on a roll.

But as much as it bothers me to fall off track, I try to remind myself that sometimes it’s better to rest. With the right amount of rest, I know we can all come back stronger than ever. Just take it from someone who’s a way better runner than I am…

“I actually think being a more balanced person makes a healthier, happier, and thus faster person. The question I try and ask myself when I consider whether or not to train more is what is my body craving and what is my body ready to absorb? Sometimes pushing harder is not the answer. It takes self control, confidence, and intuition to know when to train and when to rest, but when in question error on the side of being over rested.” // Ryan Hall

2 Comments | Posted on: April 1, 2013 | Category: Life, Running

A Thousand Miles // Running and Eating

One-Mile Pace: 8:00
Long Run: 5 Miles
Weekly Mileage: 12 Miles

Join me and share updates in the comments on your own progress! Maybe even sign up for a race (even if it’s your first). It’s so much easier to stick to a plan when you have a community of support!

Okay so this post could obviously go in a lot of directions. Does she mean running while eating? Is that something like running with scissors, or before you swim? Is she even talking about running at all or have we moved on to swimming?

Not quite… although when I learned the truth I’m about to reveal, I was just as confused as you probably are right now. The truth is that when I took up running, I was about 99.9 percent certain that my newfound passion would also, conveniently, be the ticket to both rock hard abs and unlimited pizza.

This wasn’t quite the case.

2 Comments | Posted on: March 18, 2013 | Category: Life, Running

A Thousand Miles // Taking Time

One-Mile Pace: 8:00
Long Run: 4 Miles
Weekly Mileage: 11 Miles

Wanna join me and share updates in the comments on your own progress? Maybe even sign up for a race (even if it’s your first)? It’s so much easier to stick to a plan when you have a community of support!

With running, as with most things in my life, I can be a little impatient. So when I start a new training program, I can occasionally over-reach. The problem is that I can rarely admit it, and usually my over-reach turns into a little bit of a disconnect between what I think I’m doing (what’s written on my plan) and what I’m actually doing (absolutely nothing like that).

6 Comments | Posted on: March 11, 2013 | Category: Life, Running

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Category Archives: Running

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