Expresso!

Today started off rough.  A good friend of mine lost his father...It truly makes you put things into prospective and look at life differently.  This really breaks my heart and makes me appreciate my parents even more than I already do!

Today is also our 9 year wedding anniversary!!  It is so hard to believe that it has been 9 years...I really do look forward to spending many more years with my hubby!  Love you Danny!

So after an emotional morning I made it to the gym to work off some of those emotions.  I decided to try the Expresso Bike today.  Wow am I glad I did.  I got a great workout.  It was like playing a video game while working out.  I chose a 20 mile ride that had HUGE hills.  A guy got on next to me and picked the same ride...he kept looking over at my screen and checking my speed!!  So of course the competitor in me came out and I dusted him.



A screen shot of my ride.  Check out those hills.

Have you ever tried out this bike?

It will definitely become part of my cross training routine!

Happy Running!

Where has the time gone...

The past few days have been crazy busy around our household!  The end of the school year is quickly approaching and we have had tons to do.  Today was a special day because my little guy graduated pre-school...



He has grown so much over the year and I absolutely love his teachers and the dedication they have to the kids.

I have to tell you I am liking how my body is responding to all the weight training I have been doing the past week.  It takes a lot to motivate me to get there but once I start I find myself enjoying it.  Thank goodness I have an amazing gym and tons of supportive friends there!



This group of girls are so fabulous!  They have helped me look at the bright side and see that I will come back stronger then I was before.  Thanks girls!

I have moved my focus to my core, glutes, and ankles since I apparently have NO strength in these areas!  Tons of core work will hopefully give me the "pelvic girdle" I am lacking.  I also got cleared to do the elliptical and octane machine!  This was such a huge joy for me...Usually I avoid these machines like the plague.  I have totally shifted my mindset and am now really excited to see what my future training holds.

Today I was allowed to do the Stairmonster and got my sweat on...



Boy I look mean!  I swear I was elated to sweat like a man.  I did 70 minutes and loved every second.  My legs were shaky when I was done and it felt great.

I followed this up with Physical Therapy...I feel so weak in PT because he makes me do all the exercises I never do!  Hence the injuries.  I totally got worked today in PT for 1 hour 30 minutes.  But now that it is over I have to say I love it.  He knows exactly where my deficits are and forces me to strengthen them. I also had laser therapy and some stim!

Hope everyone is training smart!

Happy Running!

Meeting Dean Karnazes

Monday was my first day back to running and I was super excited to see how I was going to make out.  I started very cautiously and kept my pace around 8:15 - 8:19 for the first mile...things felt great so I increased my pace every half mile or so and ended with a 6:40 mile and felt like I could have kept going.  I finished up with 30 minutes on the stairmonster and some stretching and foam rolling.

I was in heaven and felt "normal" again.  A friend of mine had 2 extra tickets to go see Dean Karnazes speak tonight so I was thrilled to be able to go with her!!  My hubby and I grabbed a quick bite to eat before the speaker series at Iron Hill Brewery.



Oatmeal cookie beer and grilled chicken quinoa salad...Yummy!

We had front row seats to hear Dean speak..He has been one of my running idols since I started distance running and I have read his books.  I find him so amazing and inspirational.  He truly is such a nice, down to earth person and his message is so powerful.  That fact that he can run so many miles and continually challenges himself and his body is amazing.  One question that was asked was how does he stay injury free.  He stated that he has great biomechanics and that he is able to recover quickly.  One study that they preformed on him showed that his lactic acid levels actually decreased with increased exertion!! He also stated that he "Never Sits Still"...he has his office at home step up so he is standing and he cross trains religiously.  Lots of leg work and core work as well as trail running.



My hero!!  I have been really wanting to do an Ultramarathon and after meeting Dean I am hooked.

Happy Running!!!

 

The week after Boston

So I have been pretty crazy this week balancing work, lacrosse, my boys games and schedules and doctors appointments.  Last Tuesday after the race I noticed my left foot was very sore and painful.  It took my breath away to bear weight on the outside part of my foot.  I decided to take a week off from running and to crosstrain instead.  I went to spinning class on Wednesday and felt good but not fully recovered.  On thursday I squeezed in a 30 minutes on the stairmonster before lacrosse and work.  After my shift in labor and delivery and being on my feet for 8 hours I was hobbling by the end of my shift.  I called my orthopedic doctor to see what is going on with my foot.



This is what I ended up with!  He is thinking I may have a stress fracture so I had to get x-rays and a bone scan done.





I keep telling them that where my foot hurts there is no bone...I am thinking its my left peroneal tendon and I need some ankle strengthening or physical therapy.



And according to my bone scan I have a little crooked spine!!  Never ever knew it looked like that before!  So I am still awaiting my official results from my doctor and just cross training in the mean time.

I have to say this is very difficult to wait and find out what is wrong with me...I have major "runner's envy" and get a little emotional when I see others out running!   I hate all the questions I get and comments about "taking a break" from running.  I feel a little lost without my running and that felling it gives to me.  I know this is only a small piece of time but I has felt like eternity this past week.

On a positive note I was able to find a wonderful place while waiting between my bone scans.  It is called the Great Harvest Bread Company in Newark, Delaware.  Oh my goodness it was delicious and we talked to the owner for a while about the breads and how everything is made all natural and fresh daily.  They do not use preservatives and only use local ingredients!  I bought a whole loaf of Cinnamon Chip bread and Cinnamon butter!



This was a huge success in my house and my boys devoured it the past 2 days!!  I ordered more bread for tomorrow and cannot wait to try the High 5 Fiber bread.  I definitely found a new hot spot!

Happy Running!

TRX Tuesday and Happy Spring!

Today started off a little rocky!  My 7-year-old son decided to walk out of the house with his book bag and lunch box only to turn back around and leave them on the living room floor.  So when we got to school (25 min drive) he said "oh no Mom I left my book bag and lunch box in front of the TV".  So back home I go to get bags and take them back to school...1 hour 30 minutes spent in the car = Not a happy mommy!  I made it to TRX with 2 minutes to spare and was more than ready to get my workout on.  We did a nice variety of total body movements on the straps then added some weights to make the moves harder.  One of my favorite moves are deadlifts...I really like the way these work my weak hamstrings!

After class I got busy on the stair monster for 20 mins and really worked up a massive sweat.  I can run for an hour and not sweat as much as I do on this machine in 20 minutes!

My mom sent me a text...Lunch?  Don't mind if I do!



My  4-year-old suggested Famous Dave's...a BBQ joint that is pretty good.  I was starving by the time we got there and really enjoyed my BBQ pulled chicken salad.  It comes with cheese and shoestring potato chips on it but I opted for them on the side.  My brother got the sausage and my oh my it was a big sausage!!



It did not look appealing to me but he said it was tasty!  I love spending time with my family..we always have a blast!



Aren't they cute?!  This is my little guy and my brother...aka "the best uncle in the world"!!

How was your workout today?

Happy Running!

Oh My Hills and Peroneal Tendons

Last night at work was CRAZY!!!  I think every pregnant person in Delaware decided to go into labor!  We got slammed and I ran my tail off at work.  So when I came home my head hit the pillow and I was out like a light for 4 hours.  On my days off I try to just take a quick nap then have some quality family time and get in a quick run.  My boys had a birthday party to attend so I headed out for a hill run.  I did 7.5 miles in 57 minutes and varied my incline from .5% to 5%...Hills always make my quads burn and shake!  I noticed my peroneal tendons were a little aggravated from yesterdays speed work.  I torn my right peroneal tendon back in November after the Philadelphia Marathon but recovered very quickly with the help of my amazing physical therapy.



I am not sure exactly why this issue is starting to flare up but I am already on top of trying to correct it before it gets worse!   Ice, rolling, Ibuprofen,  massaging out my trigger points and strengthening my ankles are all parts of my routine.  Hopefully this will get better and not worse!

My two running buddys went out on their 10 mile run today and saw a few men picking up trash on the side of the road....one of the men was doing a "happy dance"!  Guess what he found?  $50 in the same exact spot we found of $$ a few weeks prior!  I think we found the "gold pot" at the end of the rainbow!!



Dawn wants to know where her cash money is!! I love this picture of Angel and Dawn!



My brother's girlfriend ran her first 26.2 today in 4:27!! She did the Virginia Beach Marathon and said it was a great course and had a blast.  And the medal was cute too!



 

 

Running and running and running.....

I normally do my LSD runs on the weekend but since I worked every day this past weekend and I am working this coming weekend also I had to fit in my 20 miles today!  So here is what my day looked like... Wake up at 6:30 a.m. and my wonderful hubby says go back to bed until 7:45 because he was taking my oldest son to school for me!  I wake up at 7:45 than drink 2 cups of coffee and grab a bite to eat for me and my little guy...I take my little one to school then start my 20 miles.  It is another beautiful 70* here today and I was able to fit in 16 miles before I had to pick up little man from school.  Oh, I almost forget to tell you....I found a pair of car keys on my run today!!!  Last long run I found $$ and now today I find a car!  I am LOVING my long runs lately. 

 I was able to run home grab a shower ( really for what reason? ) then head out to lacrosse practice.  Today I made the girls run a TIMED mile!  For some reason they all panic when I actually time them.  I did run with them to get in another 1.5 miles...I lapped a few of them which made them push harder.  So at this point my mile total is 17.5 in 2 hours 10 minutes!

We had a great practice and went over a lot of field work and transition passes ( we stink at this currently).

So now it is 5:30 p.m. and I head home to grab my boys and head to swim lessons. I was able to squeeze in 3.10 miles in 22:03 for a grand total of 20.6 miles today!



This is how I refueled after my 3rd run of the day!  Red Robin....I left out the massive basket of bottomless fries!!

How do you refuel?

I did have my beloved chocolate milk and also pb and a banana!

Happy Running!

 

TRX Tuesday Plus

Today is my TRX class that always kicks my rear! Since yesterday was a rest day I squeezed in 7 miles in 53 minutes before class and kept the pace fairly easy.  I thought this sounded like a great idea until half way through class when my muscles started to rebel against me!

We started with a total body warm up then went straight into class!  She had us working every muscle group...Lots of chest, shoulders, legs and abs.  After each set of exercises we had a cardio burst on the Bosu ( jump squats, straddle squats, and lateral hops ).  Once we finished round one we got to pick our favorite exercises and complied them into round two of exercises!  We finished class with almost 2 minutes of plank/core work!! Ouch...just about sums this workout up! 

On the bright side my lacrosse team has their second scrimmage today and I am super confident they are going to do well!  We are playing another tough team but I think my girls have really improved their skills and have worked hard on our defense.  Let's Go Raiders!

And it is 70* here today! Perfect running/lacrosse weather!

Happy Running!

Epic Fail

I had a pretty busy night at work and was working off of little sleep.  I got home around 8 a.m. and was in bed by 9:30 a.m.   Last night I felt like I could not drink enough water!  I just felt the more I drank the thirstier I got.  I planned on running 10 miles today but I only made it to 6 miles.  My mouth felt like cotton and my legs started cramping around 4 miles.  I absolutely despise when my "runner" brain tells me one thing and my body says the complete opposite!!!  I debated pushing it to 10 miles but I had "phoned a friend" and she said STOP RUNNING and go drink a Gatorade! 

Logically I know my body was telling me to stop but it is so hard to get over the training schedule that tells me 10 not 6 miles.  Also, my mom had my little guy and my hubby, dad, and my oldest son went to the beach for the day so I didn't feel so guilty about fitting in a 10 mile run.  So part of me felt like I wasted my resources and failed on my run today! 

I usually like to stick to my training schedule but I also know flexibility is needed sometimes to.  This weekend is hard to adjust my routine due to my work schedule and trying to balance my family time as well as getting a few hours of sleep.  I am very blessed with such a supportive husband, parents who go above and beyond, and my children who think I WIN every time I go out for a run. 





My Crew!

Since I have to work again tonight I really am glad I listened and went home and hydrated!

How do you overcome your "runner" brain?

Happy Running!

North Star Saturday

Today started off at 6:30 am with a nice big cup of coffee and then I was headed out the door to lacrosse practice.  The skies opened up and started to pour rain just as we headed out for the run.  We finished 1.5 miles and headed inside to run some stairs.  Oh boy, I forgot had hard running stairs actually is!!  26.2 miles no problem but 15 minutes of stair running no thank you!  Indoor practice is one of my least favorite things...extremely bouncy balls on a hardwood floor x 35 girls = total chaos.  So we worked with what we had and got a lot of work done. 

After practice I planned on running 8 miles but when the time came I wasn't really in the mood.  This rarely happens to me...so I decided to listen to my body and I went to the gym and cross trained.  It was exactly what I needed!  I did get to talk about running and shoes with a new runner at the Y! 

Once I was showered and looked somewhat human again we headed out for a wild saturday night at church followed but dinner at North Star Bar and Grill with the Fam!   

 

 I am very lucky that all my aunts and uncles and cousins all live within miles to 45 minutes away.  I have a pretty amazing family who is so supportive of one another and we all actually get along!

 

Thanks Angel for suggesting this beverage!  It is very rare that I have a drink but I figure it is sort of carb loading for my 18 miler tomorrow, no?

Does your family live close by or miles away?

Happy Running!