August 1, 2018

August Run Streak

Well hello August!

So much is going on this August, so much change, and so much to throw me out of my routine (on which I thrive). To help me stay committed to my health and fitness goals I have decided to do a run streak for the month of August. With a bunch of travel and heading back to work it would be so easy to let exercise slip off the priority list, having the extra motivation of keeping a running streak alive will help a bit.

I have done short run streaks in the past and they have been helpful to get back into go habits with running. I specifically decided to go with a running streak because I won’t have access to my usual spin classes while traveling for two weeks but I can take my running shoes with me.

I know some people don’t like the idea of run streaks because they can promote unhealthy habits or push people to develop injuries. I feel comfortable with doing a streak now for a few reasons:

A month is not that long of a time
I am not brand new to running, I have had some time to come back to running after giving birth and have ran a lot in the past.
I am not requiring much to keep the streak alive, just 10 minutes or a mile counts and walking is allowed

I will be posting about my daily runs on instagram and Strava if you want to follow along. Ever tried a run streak? How long did you streak for?

October 31, 2017

30 Day Run Streak

I will admit that ever since breaking my toe in July my running has been in a bit of a slump. My toe healed up just fine and I have been able to run pain free for a while now. But still my running has been inconsistent and unenthusiastic.

The days are getting shorter and the temps are dropping but fall is my favorite time to run.

Sunday morning shuffle #run

When I have wanted to get back to consistent running in the past I have done a 30 day run streak to help kick start my habit. A 30 day run streak works for me because it reinforces the habit of running everyday and helps reignite my love of running.

So I plan to run everyday in November and I am pretty excited about it.

The “rules” for my run streak are pretty forgiving as I don’t want to risk injury or burn out. There is no minimum time or distance and walk breaks are definitely allowed. Treadmills are also allowed and will definitely be used. The idea is not to rack up epic milage but to just get moving every day and reset the habit.

What helps you get back into running after a slump?

July 15, 2013

Badwater Ultra Marathon

This morning the Badwater Ultra Marathon, arguably one of the worlds hardest ultra marathons.

Source

The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as “the world’s toughest foot race”. It is a 135-mile course starting at 282 feet below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California‘s Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet (2548 m) at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures over 120 °F, even in the shade, are not uncommon. Consequently, very few people—even among ultramarathoners—are capable of finishing this grueling race. Source

While I dream of one day running an ultra marathon (anything longer than 26.2 miles) I don’t aspire to run this one. It’s an incredible race, I would love to crew someone some day. It would be so amazing to help someone reach that goal. I have no idea how you get involved but one day I will.

People competing in this race will be running over night tonight so send them good thoughts when you tuck yourself in.

Would you do it???

May 22, 2013

Matthew Winters Trail

I really love trail running, and finding a new trail to run on is one of my favorite things in the world. I find trail running in Colorado very different than running on streets or paths with all the hills and technical sections. So I don’t always get to spend time on the trails like I would like. If I have 20 miles on my schedule it my be too difficult for ME to do so on a trail (I know ultra runners do it all the time but I can’t on top of Ironman training) but I do find anything less than 10 miles works and is a good hill workout. This past weekend, I had a shorter run on my schedule so I hopped on the internet and found a new trail not too far from our house. Matthew Winters Trail seemed like a good choice.

Everything is SO green right now!

The trail started out rolling and very runnabel

There were some deer along the trail

As we ran into the south parking lot we could have turned around and headed back the way we came or along the Dakota Ridge trail. We opted for Dakota Ridge, but if I could go back I would backtrack. Dakota Ridge trail is beautiful but not runnable for me, it was steep uphill on rocky terrain that often had stairs cut in. I really did enjoy the views, unfortunately our camera died halfway through so no pictures of the second part.

Do you enjoy trail running? Do you find it difficult to run as far?

May 14, 2013

Colorado Marathon Race Report

On May 5th I ran my second marathon (3rd if you count Ironman, but I don’t and that’s another conversation). I almost dropped to the half but I am happy with my choice to run the full. It hurt and I had some GI issues but I had fun and didn’t have to pay $20 to switch. So besides MY personal experience that you can read about, here are my thoughts on how this race is run.

You must pick up your packet on Friday or Saturday before the Sunday race, this is a little bit of an inconvenience for Cory and I as it’s over an hour drive from Denver. We didn’t want to make the trip twice. We opted to stay in a hotel the night before but didn’t think about this logistical issue until the week before and ended up in a slightly seedy hotel (I brought my own pillow and blanket). The expo is easy to get into and navigate but also very small with basically no swag other than your race shirt. The shirt this year is very nice, much better than two years ago with women’s cut available.

Race morning you must meet down town between 4:00 and 4:30 am to catch tour busses to the race start. The race is point to point, basically they drive you 26 miles up the mountain canyon and you run out. We caught a fairly early bus because I am type A like that. The ride was comfortable and there was a bathroom which was nice for a runner on an hour long bus ride. It is a little surreal to ride what you will have to turn around and run out it makes the distance very real. The bus was full of nervous chatter but I was feeling fairly at ease since I had put no pressure on myself to do anything more than just finish. When we got to the top it was dark and we had over an hour before the race start, good news was that the bathroom lines were short, bad news is we froze!

Even with sweats it was cold and I didn’t want to sit and lose more heat so I stood freezing for 90 minutes, not the best start to marathon. If I did it again I would catch a later bus. Another issue at the start was not enough bathrooms. The lines were ridiculous!

the start couldn’t come fast enough I was ready to run and warm up!

Aside from some of my complaints the course is breathtaking. It is awesome to run down the canyon with the sunrise and the river flowing next to you!

The first half of the race is so scenic that the miles just click by. One mistake I made was not hydrating correctly. I was at the back of the bus when the volunteer gave us updates, both Cory and I heard that there was aid stations about every mile. Looking back at the race site it actually says every other mile so we must have miss heard and it was more like every 2.5 miles so I didn’t always take a gel at the right time that led to some GI distress later.

About mile 16 you make it out onto the plains and run along a busy road, this is my least favorite part of the run but it is still nice.
One thing to note is that the canyon road is closed to traffic which is great for safety but if you want a lot of crowd support, you’re not getting it at this race. You probably won’t see your family until mile 18 of the marathon. If you like having cheering fans and seeing your family multiple times, this race is not for you.

After my stomach started to bother me I was really ready to be done but seeing my parents and their dogs after 21 and a half miles really lifted my spirits. I told myself at the beginning that if I was really hurting or on the verge of injury I would pull out when I saw them. I wasn’t feeling great but I really wanted to finish so I trudged on.

Doodles!

Hey mom!

The rest of the course is along a bike path, nice and flat until you turn into old town and run up the road to the finish line.

I was so happy to see the 26 mile flag. While I enjoyed most of the run, the post race was a little lacking. There wasn’t a party feel, and the food was oatmeal. It was Cinco de Mayo and they were serving Oatmeal! Others may have liked it but I wanted guacamole and a margarita! On the bright side the medal was cool.

Colo marathon medal.jpg
After the race we refueled like a boss with lots of mexican food! Thanks mom and dad for all the support!

May 8, 2013

I changed my mind…..

So last week I wrote a post about paying the price for inconsistent training, how I missed key workouts and was going to have to drop to the half marathon. My coach suggested the switch and I agreed it was the SMART choice. I decided I was going to switch but was fairly grumpy about it and wasn’t really looking forward to racing the half. I ran the full in 2011 and loved it. Added to that was the lingering disappointment that I skipped last year’s marathon due to an injury while training for IMCDA.

On top of being grumpy about dropping to the half, I found out it would cost $20 to switch. I understand why they charge, it takes staff time to change people and they don’t want a bunch of people switching. But I had already paid for the more expensive race I didn’t want to pay more to do the half. The nail in the coffin was Cory telling me he still wanted to run the full (he had done a little less training than I had) and he thought I could do the full if I wanted. I was sold, and magically excited about the race again. I was excited to run a marathon, to get my second open marathon in the books and I really didn’t care what my time was. I knew with my shabby training that I was undertrained, there would be no PR and it would hurt but I was still happy to be there.

And I survived and had a lot of fun, ok, the last 10k sucked and hurt but doesn’t it always? I don’t care that I didn’t PR or run fast at all, it was an event and I had a really good time. My parents came out to cheer for us and seeing them at mile 21 really lifted my spirits, thanks mom and dad! I will write a race report later this week to talk about race details. For now I am trying to recover and be able to walk normally.

April 26, 2013

Paying the Price

I am guilty of one of the worst crimes in endurance sports. I have been inconsistent in my train (cue dramatic music). I have many excuses, I was injured, then school and work got in the way, then I was really sick for two weeks, etc. No matter what the excuse I still have to pay the price for about 5 weeks of less than stellar training. The biggest price I will pay is the lack of fitness that I should have gained over these last weeks but the most immediate consequence is next week’s marathon.

I made it up to 18 miles for a long run but that was over a month ago. I am certain that I could run a marathon now but it would hurt a lot. If the marathon was the big goal I think I would still go for it but being sick for the weeks I was supposed to run 20 and 22 miles has made it seem less doable. Because I want to be able to bounce back quickly and keep training for my half ironman in June, I am going to drop to the half. I am a little bummed because I ran the full in 2011 and loved it. It also stings a bit to be behind the plan. But the half will still be fun and I should be able to walk the next day, I am sure that would not be true if I ran the full.

On a happier note I think I have finally (mostly) rounded out my race calendar for the summer :

June 9^th: Denver Triathlon

June 29^th: Pacific Crest Long Course Triathlon

July 13^th: Steamboat Springs Sprint Triathlon

August 4^th: Ironman Boulder 70.3

August 10^th: Beaver Creek Trail Half Marathon (just for fun)

August 31^st: Boulder Sunset Olympic Triathlon

September 22^nd: Ironman Lake Tahoe

After IMLT I am planning on taking all of October to not race and do my own thing and enjoy my favorite month of the year, after that I have BIG plans!

January 2, 2013

Hungover Half Marathon

Happy New Year! I hope you have recovered from all the fun you had last night and a ready to take on the new year. Cory and I slept in and then set out for our tradition of running a half marathon on New Years day. There isn’t an official half in Colorado (that we know of) so for the last two years we have just ran a self supported 13.1 mile on a local trail. This year we decided that we really wanted to get up into the mountains. It was only 12 degrees so we tried to dress warm loaded up our hydration packs and headed out.

Two hats, two pairs of pants and two coast kept things from being two cold but I won’t go so far as to say that I was “warm”. But the trail was beautiful and the sun was shining so I can’t complain. We were even sheltered from the wind by the heavy cover of trees.

It was difficult to eat and drink well on the run because our water and food froze. Luckily the view was worth it!

The plan for tonight is to eat a new chicken curry slow cooker recipe (will share if it’s good) relax and get ready to go back to reality tomorrow.

What did you do on your first day of the year? Do you go back to work tomorrow?

December 11, 2012

Athlete Wish List Part 3 (Run)

It’s time to continue the athlete’s wish list with the run addition. This addition is the easiest for me because at heart I am a runner that does triathlons. I love run gear the most but you can find my swim list here: Athlete Wish List Part 1 (swim) and bike wish list here: Athlete wish List Part 2 (Bike)

Here a few things that I have and love or are on my list for running:

For a big ticket Item I would suggest a Garmin 910X with heart rate monitor and ANT stick so you don’t have worry about recording your workouts:

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I have this Salomon Momentum jacket and wear it ALL the time! It’s super comfortable and perfect for running and cycling.

I love most thing Lululemon but I really love my Run Swiftly long sleeve shirt it’s the perfect weight.

On runs longer than 10 miles I always carry water, a Nathan Handheld makes that easy

Every runner can use more gels, I like GU the best. I usually stick with blackberry or peanut butter but this time of year the holiday flavors are fun

What are some things you have on your run wish list?

Lists from last Year:

2011 wish list – part 1
2011 wish list – part 2
2011 wish list – part 3

November 12, 2012

Cold Running

We finally had some cold weather come through Colorado yesterday. A storm left lots of snow in the high country and Denver with just a little less than an inch. Normally we get a lot more snow and cold days in October so we have had it easy this year so far. I had 16 miles to run so I bundled up and headed to one of my favorite paths that I knew wouldn’t to too snowy.

After running 16 miles yesterday Cory decided to join me on his bike instead of on foot. He carried my water for me and it was so nice not to have to carry a pack!
We started out in sub 20 degree weather, I was a little chilly but was fine until a very cold wind started blowing on the way back. Not pleasant but I would MUCH rather run in the cold than the heat!

Overall the run was fine, my legs didn’t feel very spunky they pretty much felt the same at mile one as they did at mile fourteen.
Would you rather run in the heat or cold???