Left Leg vs. Slanted Road...Awesome Mail

Today's weather was PERFECT for running!! Finally... Welcome Spring...

T-shirt and Capri's

I met Angel 5 miles into her run...she had a 20 miler and I had 15 miles to do.  We started off at way below marathon pace and everything was feeling pretty darn great then we hit the slanted back roads and both of us had almost identical SI/left leg pain.  I am not quite sure if this happens to other runners out there??   For safety running towards traffic is a must but unfortunately the way the roads are slanted this causes a big leg/hip discrepancy....In races it is easier to stay in the center of the road to avoid this but on training runs that's a different story!    After we finished I made sure to stretch and foam roll out my back and legs which seems to help!  So I finished with 15 miles in 2:02:38!

 

I had some exciting packages come these past few weeks...My favorite one:

Seen on Instagram @ DErunningmom

LOVE MY TEAM!!!!!!!

These are the BEST running shorts ever!  And the t-shirt is my new must have piece of clothing! Please go get yourself some new spring/summer running clothes asap!

 

Instagram @ DErunningmom

 

I also received my Runner Passport and information package from the Boston Marathon!!  Getting super excited for this race!

I am so getting this t-shirt for my boys!!

Muscle and Fitness Box

This box was a nice surprise...Muscle and Fitness samples of all kinds!  I think my hubby will be trying a few of these out.

Origami Owl..

Origami Owl locket and necklace!!  Totally in love with this company and am going to have a party at the end of April for it!!

Does anyone else experience this left leg/ SI joint pain while road running??

Have you heard of Origami Owl??

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful day!

Happy Running!




Teamwork, Titans, and Tweaking...

I have had a very hard time keeping up with everything this past week!  Lots of working, coaching, running, oh yea and most importantly MOMMY-ING!  I have had my limits tested this week and almost broke down...my body finally told me to slow down on Tuesday and I ended up in bed or  the bathroom!  So here is what has been going on!  I have had 2 great speework sessions since last Wednesday and actually look forward to doing the speed!  Last weeks speed looked like this:

3 mile warm up then 10 x 400 meter repeats @ 1:30 - 1:26 with a 60-90 second RI..I ended with 9.25 miles in 67 minutes. 

Yesterday's speedwork was done after my teams lacrosse game and being frozen AGAIN!  I did a 2 mile warm up at 7:30 pace then 8 x 800 meter repeats with a .20 - .25 RI in between ... I was feeling great so I really wanted to end with 9 miles under 64 minutes so I pushed the cooldown pace and finished with 9.2 in 66:10.  

Best combo for speed...Oiselle, Mizuno and Feetures!

Cross training this past week consisted of 2 days of lifting, rowing, and stairmonster!  I forgot how much of a workout rowing is....I have a nice blister on my hand to prove it!

#BrilliantROW

 So I crammed a ton in to the past week especially Thursday - Sunday and barely any sleep!  I worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights...  We had our first lacrosse game on Friday and we totally rocked the field!  17-7 victory and my team finally clicked together which is a beautiful thing to see!  So proud of these girls...Then straight from the game I went right into work for 12 hours...then on Saturday I had to go see my all time favorite college lacrosse goalie play against Wilmington University...Her team also won and she added some spice to the game! LOVE her...I feel like a proud mom watching her play and just excel in her sport as well as her AMAZINGLY positive attitude! 

GCU LAX!!

After the game my hubby's softball team had their beef and beer ... I am not going to lie I was so beyond tired and dreading having to go to work at 3 am ... I debated not going to the beef and beer.  I also figured they were like any other typical men's softball team.  Well,  I was completely wrong....This team seems like an amazing group of men and I actually am looking forward to seeing them play.  I ended up having a great time and got to spend my BFF's birthday eve with her too!  Plus they also had delicious cupcakes:

Sunday - Long run of 15.15 miles in 1:55 minutes and felt pretty darn good considering all the craziness of the weekend.  My back was very stiff on the right side so I need to go see my PT asap!

It is so amazing how just a little tweaking and adjustment can change things majorly!  I was able to go see my PT friend and get straightened out..plus a little Rock Tape!  It is almost instant relief and I could tell such a difference on my speedwork last night!!!  Thank God! 

Some other exciting news this week is we finally have a girl in the group!!!

AVERY MICHELLE

Meet Avery... She was born on Tuesday..I made sure to settle my friend in and hooked her up with an amazing nurse ( since I was just getting off of work and had to go back in that night ).  Congrats Kim and Corey and Big Brother Jordan!

Happy Running!

FROZEN!!!

So Saturday we had our lacrosse tournament from 8:30am to 3:30pm and it was COLD...like the cold that gets into your bones and freezes you!  Angel was out on her 20 miler and stopped by to give my team a shout out....I would have taken her picture but my hands we already frozen.   We did ok and were able to work on some of our teams weaknesses and I think the team is starting to mesh well together.  After the tournament I convinced myself to go run a quick tempo run and save my long run for Monday.  Well...I really think I was frozen from the inside out...I started off the run at a quicker warm up pace and my body felt so stiff and tense...I had planned on 10 miles but called it a day after 7.3 miles in 54 minutes.  My feet were so sore and tight ..I decided it was not worth an injury to keep pushing.  I also realized that I had only 1 bottle of water to drink the whole day and a soft pretzel to eat!  Not a smart move on my part!!  So I went home and snuggled up with my family. 

Sunday was my son's First Reconcilation!  He made us very proud:

I had a lot of friends and MAC running club members racing today at the CR half marathon....They all did awesome especially my running buddy Dawn!!!  Way to rock it on your "training" run!  I have to say I was having major race envy and feeling like I should go out for another attempt at my tempo run...BUT  I talked myself out of it and decided to save it for my 20 miler.  Actually Angel helped me convince myself not to run!  Sooooo we went to see the Great and Powerful Oz instead...The boys loved it! 

I woke up Monday and it was cold and windy...I was being a total princess and decided I could not be cold for one more day...so I went into the Y and ran my 20 miler on my favorite TM!  Angel came and ran next to me for a few miles and I do not think 5 minutes went by that someone was not talking to me.  I played around with the decline and incline but tried to keep my speed pretty even.  I ran the first 16 without music but then for the last 4 I put on some tunes!  This made me pick up the pace and I ran the last 4 at marathon pace plus added an extra 1.25 miles at sub-MP.  Total of 21.25 miles in 2:52...I also used a gel around mile 16 and this gave me an extra burst of energy to finish.  I felt great and even felt like I could have kept on going for another hour or so.  I made sure I refueled with a Premier Protein shake right after I ran and stretched out before heading to lacrosse practice and work. 

How do you refuel after a long run??

Happy Running!

Green Everything..

This weeks spin class was a full on St. Patty's Day party!  We worked very hard and also laughed very hard...The ride was filled with tons of fast flats and quick leg turnover while the music was all Irish themed and fast beats.  We had green beads, green pins, green H2O, green wigs, shirts, shorts and Irish cookies to finish off the class!  This totally made working out and working hard way more fun....

My Beads!

Hilarious!!

LOVE these girls!

Wednesday was my speedwork day and it actually went really well... 2 mile warm-up @ 8:12 pace then 3 x 1600 meter repeats with 60 seconds recovery between each repeat...my paces were 6:31, 6:22, 6:18... OUCH!  Then a 2.5 mile cooldown @ 7:41 - 7:50 pace.  I then joined Angel on the stairmonster for a few minutes and then pretended to do ab work! 

The past 2 nights at work have been very challenging and busy... so mentally I was drained and needed to take Thursday as a rest day!  Lately I have been putting way too much on my schedule and trying to squeeze it all in and sacrificing sleep....which I am realizing is an awful idea! 

I have a 20 miler scheduled for this weekend to fit in on top of a 8:30 am to 3:30 pm lacrosse play day for my team tomorrow and my son's first Reconciliation on Sunday!
Lord help me rock this last 20 miler before Boston!! 

I know I am getting old when it is St. Patty's Day Weekend and I have no bar hopping or green beer drinking planned at all!  Booo.

Oh well at least my mom bought this for me and my boys:

GREAT HARVEST BREAD COMPANY!

This Leprechaun cake/bread is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!  Go pick some up from Great Harvest Bread Co. before it is all gone! 

Any one racing this weekend?  

Good luck to everyone running the Ceasar Rodney Half Marathon on Sunday!!

Happy Running!

28 hr day, Epic Fail and Re-Do run...

Friday was such a long day for me filled with my many different hats I wear!  Started the day at 6:30 am as mommy, then went for my Tempo run ...8.1 miles in 62 minutes  ( 1.25 mile warm up @ 8:19 pace then 4.75 miles at tempo pace then 2.1 mile cool down @ 8:00 pace ) Thank goodness my friend Andy gave me a little incentive to finish:


Yum!



I scarfed them down too quickly and forgot to take a pic so this is a sample!



 

Then I put on my coaching gear and headed up to practice in the freezing cold...I swear high schoolers have no sense of cold!! After a successful practice it was on to my REAL job as a nurse for a 12 hour midnight shift!  Thank god I work with my amazing friend Lauren and the night flew by quickly! 

 

Saturday was a complete blur because after being up from 6:30 am friday until 9 am Saturday I totally crashed and didn't move until 4 pm...then it was time to do it all over again!

 

Sunday:  plan called for 15 miles @ 8:00 pace...Well,  my legs felt like lead and my mind was not in for the long haul... I tried to convince myself I could make it through but when an 8:06 felt like a sprint I knew my body was telling me to back off.  I realized I only drank 2 cups of water at work that night and my body could tell.  I got to 9.5 miles and chugged my water then tried to push out a few more miles but decided to be SMART and stop.  11.5 miles in 1:33 with average pace of 8:05.  I texted my running wife to look for advice and she agreed that was the smart move!!  I find that I get so caught up in "the plan" and sometimes forget to listen to my body...but there are 7 days in a week and today was not the day for my long run!  I made sure to drink plenty of water and refuel with one of these:

 

 

I have been increasing my protein intake much more lately and these are so simple and easy to take along anywhere you go!

 

Today:  Re-Do on yesterday's epic fail....I wanted to do a pretty decent run and feel like I worked without causing injury!  I decided to do 10 miles and felt soooo much better then yesterday.  My body still felt heavy but my run and head were in a better place today.  I also switched my Mizuno's to my brand new pair of Wave Rider 16's and my feet, hips and knees were happy!  I did get about 550 miles out of my old pair and will still use them for shorter runs but for anything over 10 I will use my new pair!

 

 

New Mizno's + FEETURES! = AMAZING!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Running!

 

 

 

 

 

 



MAC banquet and Fairhill

So last Friday night MAC ( Middletown Athletic Club ) had our annual banquet and a fun night to catch up and chat with other runners and athletes!  I went with Dawn and had a blast!  We got to catch up on some stuff, talk about training, eat some delicious food and desserts, and listen to the amazing guest speaker: Coach Jim Fischer!   I am very passionate about running and everything surrounding the sport so to be in a room filled with like minded people was awesome!  Coach Fischer had so many fantastic key notes and points that it sparked my love of running even more!  This was my first time meeting him and I could just tell what a huge impact he has on the running community and how he is willing to help any level runner improve!  He is currently coaching at Sanford but prior to that was the University of Delaware's track and cross country coach for I believe 30 years!  So this man knows his stuff and is willing to share his knowledge and work with all levels of runners...He also host a Tuesday night running clinic as well as starting a spring running clinic that will meet once a week...there are two different locations and options being offered ( Glasgow Park or Delcastle Rec. ).  You can find out more info at www2.nccde.org...the Running Camp at Glasgow Park is held Thursday nights from 6-7:30 pm from 3/14 - 5/02  and the Delcastle Rec is held Monday nights 6-7:30 pm from 3/11 - 4/29.  This Camp is for ALL runners!!

Coach Jim Fischer

I am definitely going to start attending his running clinics and camps to help me improve and get my goal marathon time that I have saved in my head!!!

There was also a silent auction and among some of the items this on sure did catch my eye!!!  LOVE my FEETURES!

Also if you are looking to join and amazing group of runners of all levels please come join MAC  ... Andy's emails alone are worth joining! 

On Sunday Angel FINALLY gave into my begging and we ventured out to Fair Hill, MD for some killer hills, hills and more hills...Oh yea what is the saying what goes up must come down???  Yup and some killer declines!!!  I will have to go back and take some pictures of the monster hills we ran but I just couldn't maneuver my camera and try to run the hills at the same time!  We parked at a fantastic little gas station with a potty and started from there... The first 7 miles flew by but then we turned around to head back and the our long lost friend "HEADWIND" decided to join us...This run was extremely challenging but it extremely boosted my confidence!  I finished with 13.25 miles in 1:50 plus a 1 mile warm up at home before heading out.  I cannot wait to tackle these hills again and go for even more distance.   This route is a beast and gives you no time to recover...you are either climbing a hill or going down a steep decline...hardly any flat road out there! Runs like this will help make Boston feel flat. 

Monday: I just did a super light workout with some weight lifting and the stairmonster for 25 minutes.  I have been focusing on my hamstring and glutes more plus some pull ups and core. 

Tuesday:  Rest day - 2 midnight shifts at work and lacrosse practice!

Wednesday:  Well this was a crazy day for me!  My kids had off school for the SNOW we did not get...Not even on flake or flurry on the ground and school was cancelled!  I was less than thrilled especially since I had just got off of work at 6 am and had to be super mommy for the day!  I finally caved and made them go to the gym with me before I lost my sanity...So I did my fabulous Hill Pyramid run and my goodness it kicked my rear!  Max incline of 6% and max decline of -1% ... I ended with 8.5 miles in 65 minutes and called it a day.  It is amazing how much lack of sleep can affect your performance! 

Thursday:  Easy 4.5 miles with my lacrosse girls...They have truly impressed me this season with their conditioning!  I love seeing them improve and develop their skills in such a short period of time.  Proud Coach over here....

had to share my goalie's new stick!

And the best thing about coaching is... there is a Trader Joe's right next to the school!!!  Bonus!

Just a few things today!

I am very excited to try that Ezekiel bread!

Do you belong to a running club or prefer to run solo??

Happy Running!

 

 

Catching Up!!

Wow this past week has had a lot of changes and new this happening!  Last Sunday 2/24  we became Godparents to the CUTEST little boy:

LOVE!!

We are so honored and privileged to be his Godparents and look forward to the future with this little man....oh yeah and we LOVE his parents and siblings also!!!  I predict a future marathoner in him...It all started with Boston!

Since I was post a 20 miler I was still ravenous and feasted on the amazing food ( all HOMEMADE ) and this beauty:


Truly Heaven sent!!

On Monday my hubby started a new adventure with work and I am so looking forward to the things to come!!  I took today as a much needed rest day since I worked the past two nights and my BFF's Nana was laid to rest...the service was beautiful and truly reflected what a wonderful happy soul her Nana was!!  She had passed away the same day her husband passed away 25 yrs earlier ( 2/17 )...I think this is her happily ever after and she is now in a much better place smiling down and watching over her family with the love of her life!! 

Tuesday my oldest was home sick with a fever and vomiting so I had to sneak in a quick 6.25 miles in 44:56 when my mom stopped by to drop something off!  I always hate to see my little men sick.  Thank goodness was off work to care for them. 

Wednesday:  Speed work!!!!  I am really starting to enjoy my speed days because I think this is the key element that will get me to my goal.  Here is the breakdown of my run:
2 mile warm up in 16:00 ( 8:00min/ mile pace )
2 x 1600 meter @ 6:31
1 min recovery in between
2 x 800 meter @ 3:08
1 min recovery in between
1 mile cooldown
Total 7 miles in 48 minutes

Followed by weight lifting with Tony....We had talked about sport specific training and he put something together for Angel and I to try...Wow this was good and really targeted those hamstrings, glutes and back muscles that we forget to work! 

Thursday another rest day due to class and work schedule!

Friday:  Welcome March!  First day of lacrosse practice!!! I absolutely love this time of year and spring sports...I ran a quick warm up with the girls and I have to say they did great!  Not many people walked and no one threw up!  Yay.   We did a ton of sprints and drills also to show how much conditioning they will need...I think they may have actually been working in the off season.  Stick skills look a little rusty but that will work out this week and the new players were picking it up fast!!  Looking forward to the 2013 season.  Come support our team this season PLEASE!!!!

Friday night I had my running clubs 2nd annual banquet and it was awesome I will post that up in a separate post!

What's your favorite spring sport?  Any Lacrosse fans out there??

Happy Running!