Category Archives: Uncategorized

Couch to Getting It Done

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Part of being a runner means planning. When to run, where to run, making time in your chaotic schedule for your run. This week’s schedule was even more chaotic than usual (and by that, I mean the kind of schedule that makes mere women weep. And I am mere women).

C25K, Week 2, Day 1

Time 31:25 minutes, Distance 1.50 miles, Pace 20:57

Sunday morning dawned again. My son had a gym appointment (rescheduled from last week) and this time, we were making it. My daughter’s swim was at the same time. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

I hopped on the treadmill and was grooving out to my Pitbull mix on Pandora. I was totally rocking this run. It felt so fast. There was a guy on the treadmill in front of me and he was running too, and he looked like he was going pretty fast too, and we’re running and we’re fast and HEY LOOK AT US, WE’RE RUNNERS.

Then, my son jumped on the treadmill next to me and started walking. Not super fast. Just walking.

And he was going faster than my run.

What the HELL?

For reference, my treadmill ‘run’ is about 3.4. My son was walking at 3.5.

Then I caught a glimpse of the screen of the guy in front of me, the one that I just bonded with in the glory of running a few sentences ago.

7.7

Apparently, I was not as fast as I thought. Or as fast as a ten year old walks. Or as fast as your gramma, most likely.

BUT… I was faster than I was the run before. And I have no desire to indulge in pace shame. I’m doing what I can, when I can, as fast as I can.

So dude with the 7.7, you were totally running faster. But we’re still both runners.

C25K, Week 2, Day 2

31.25 minutes, Distance 1.61 miles, Pace 19:31

And then I got faster.

Day 1 and Day 2 were back to back days. I never do this. But with the aforementioned crazy schedule, I knew running time was going to be hard to come by. So Monday night it was. My daughter came with me and she was totally faster than me, even walking, but she’s a 15 year old athlete, so whatever.

WHATEVER.

This run actually felt amazing. I was totally sore from the day before, but a good sore (the ‘good gawd, what was I thinking’ sore would come the next day).

And then I saw my pace under 20:00 and I was ridiculously happy I’d run back to back days.

And happy I started this.

And just plain happy.

C25K, Week 2, Day 3

Time 0:00 minutes, Distance 0 miles, Pace 00:00

It was supposed to be Thursday night. Mother Nature had other ideas (she and I are in such a fight).

Then, it was supposed to be Friday night. But it was still SNOWING. (I’m totally taking a hit out on her).

Okay, so Saturday, somewhere between brunch and my daughter’s modeling class at 2:00… oh wait, it’s at 1:00? Oh fabulous. Drive there, drive back, eat lunch. And I’ve got a date tonight with my husband, so I’ve got to get ready. Movie starts at 6:20 and it’s 3:20 and there is just no way I can pretend I don’t have time for this run.

Even though I kind of want to right now. That’s right, I’m typing up this post as part of my procrastination tactic.

But it’s not working. So I’ll be back…

Amended

C25K, Week 2, Day 3

Time 31:00 minutes, Distance 1.62 miles, Pace 19.08

Sometimes you plan and schedule and move things around and when that all goes to hell? You just get it done.

P.S. Next week includes a three minute run. If I die, it’s been nice blogging with you.

Part 1 of the Goofy Challenge – the half marathon

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We were ready to run.

After a fabulous carb-loading dinner (gnocchi for me!) at Downtown Disney Friday evening, we slept for several hours before our 2 a.m. alarm sounded.

Now let me say, my running pals are Type A  early birds who would much rather arrive at the race site early rather than rush to our corrals just before start time.  I agree wholeheartedly.

I should introduce you to my race partners for the Goofy Challenge,  Jen and Aaron. Jen is one of my closest friends and was my first “real” friend in college. I met Aaron a few years back here in Rochester and we run together regularly.

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(left to right, Jen, me, Aaron at our pasta dinner!)

So to sum up the next few less-than-exciting hours, we prepped, headed out the door for a shuttle pickup and were on the first bus out of the Saratoga Springs resort, arriving at EPCOT shortly after 3 am. We sat on a bench for a while, then checked our bags, made our way to Corral A, where we waited some more.

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Finally, the fireworks went off and we started running. Within a mile, my glasses fogged up from the humidity. Awwwesome.

We zipped into the first toilets we saw – no lines! Huzzah!! But otherwise, we ran and ran and ran some more. Around mile 3, came up to the toll gates for Magic Kingdom and started chanting; “Caution runners, road narrows, speed bumps ahead.”

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We got a few other runners in on the action – Hey, we had to entertain ourselves SOMEHOW.

We ran through the parking lots, past cheering crowds at the kingdom’s transportation center, toward the contemporary resort.  And there it was, our first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle on the predawn horizon.

It always takes my breath away, just for a second. We’ll be there soon!

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We passed by Space Mountain – and a rather dark stretch just outside the park – and then we passed through some back gates and entered Magic Kingdom! After a loop behind the scenes at the park, we entered Main Street USA. This is always my favorite stretch of any Disney race: it’s a bit like stepping onto a stage.

Crowds of cheering loved ones and many Disney cast members lined the street. We, of course, stopped for several photos on Main Street and in front of the castle, which was covered with stunning wintry lights.

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Jen and me running along Main Street USA! (jazz hands!)

We hung a right and headed into Tomorrowland – and straight to a lovely restroom with flushing toilets. One member of our crew needed a rather lengthy pit stop here. (We didn’t time it, but it was well over 10 minutes.)

Soon enough, we were again on our way. We ran toward Fantasyland, stopping by the teacups, a favorite ride of mine and Jen’s dating back 15+ years.

We passed a few more characters before it was time to run through Cinderella’s Castle! Such a magical feeling to cross through to the other side!

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Cinderella’s Castle still in its winter splendor.

We ran down the ramp and veered into Frontierland. We waved to Princess Tiana, saluted Woody and Jessie, cursed Splash Mountain (for being closed for repairs) and were spooked by the idling train on the tracks as we left the park just past mile 6.

The sun peeked over the horizon as we passed parade float storage, which now also housed all of Splash Mountain’s unused log boats.

Queue the Disney-induced mist and fog over the Magnolia golf course – breathtaking! (More on that in the full marathon post.) We ran past several more resorts and headed back to the highway.

Starting mile 7, we launched our run-walk-run  plan to conserve energy, our legs and our sanity for Sunday’s marathon. We walked 1/4 mile and ran 3/4 mile for each remaining mile through the end of the race.

The miles clicked off and soon enough, we entered EPCOT. The last mile loops through future world, past Spaceship Earth to the finish line in the parking lot. Just before mile 13, we passed a gospel choir jiving and singing Hallelujah!

Jen and I joined hands in the last stretch as Aaron whipped out his camera. Together we crossed the finish, hands in air.

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Medal number one!

Making It Work (Out)

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I had grand plans for prenatal exercise. I had a good running base. I’d done my research, talked to my doctor and read some blogs about running during pregnancy. I didn’t need to run a marathon on the day I gave birth or anything; I just wanted to maintain some level of running fitness. It should’ve been easy.

Ha.

You know what’s easier? Sitting around and having your husband bring you ice cream. Because you are fat and hot and tired and nauseated and taking care of two pre-schoolers all day.

I started out fine- not my typical mileage but still doing something. I even ran a 5k. But then, first trimester exhaustion arrived, along with her friends, nausea and bloat. So I walked when I felt like it and figured I’d get back to running in the second trimester. By then summer had arrived, and between the heat and the flurry of pool dates, zoo trips, picnics, and whatever else I could think of to entertain the girls, I was just too tired to work out. I resigned myself to the fact that my pregnancy running plans were a complete fail. (And I was mostly okay with that. I mean, I still had ice cream.)

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Nursing while I warm-up! Moms know
how to multitask.

I’m three months post-pregnancy, and I’m finally getting back to running on a regular schedule. It feels SO GOOD. But also? Running is hard! I’m challenged by speeds that would’ve been slow for me before, and distances that were a piece of cake. And finding the time? Very tricky.

I used to run after the kids were in bed. That doesn’t work right now. Nor does early morning because little dude’s feedings aren’t consistent. Both girls are in school during the latter half of the week, so after I drop them off, I head to the gym.

My goal right now is to run three days a week. So far, I’ve only made this happen once. But I’m still exercising! Here’s how I’m making it work, as I adjust to being a mom of three:

  • Go to the gym when wee precious babe is asleep: Little dude is an easy baby. I nurse him, put him in the stroller and hop on the treadmill. After we smile and make some silly faces, he usually gets bored with watching me run and shuts his eyes.
  • Meet a friend to work out: If I plan to meet a friend for a workout, I’m obligated to be there. No excuses. As a bonus, there’s an extra person around to entertain the baby, if needed. Also? I get to converse with an adult.
  • Hire a trainer: I’m working out once a week with Trainer Jen! When we started, I said I needed her to help me avoid a tummy tuck. We do lots of ab exercises, among other things.
  • Walk, walk, walk: If I haven’t made it to the gym, I take the kids out for a stroller or bicycle walk.
  • Find something to do at home: Sometimes I only have twenty minutes. I can totally do some abs and arm work with free weights in that amount of time.
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself: There are times when I’m too tired. There are times when the baby won’t let me put him down. There are times when I don’t want to put him down, because one day, he won’t fall asleep in my arms. And that’s okay. The treadmill will be there tomorrow.

Moms, did you run during your pregnancy? Any tips for finding time to workout with kids? Let me know in the comments.

When a Race Goes Horribly Wrong

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The Pittsburgh Marathon was meant to be MY race.

But little went as planned on May 6.

I trained long and hard last spring for my third marathon. I dodged snow plows, braved whipping winds on frigid, single-digit days and completed two 20-milers, one at a 9:40 minute/mile pace, my best yet. I actually paid attention to my diet and adjusted accordingly. I was ready to race.

But on race day, instead of celebrating a 26.2-mile journey, I was weeping in the shower.

I know it sounds bonkers, crying over exercise. But that’s how it panned out.

I headed to Pittsburgh the day before the race with two good friends, including my trusty running partner Gary. Early May in Pittsburgh was unseasonably hot, we realized as we walked to the expo from our downtown hotel. We took this as a sign to hydrate even more.

The highs reached into the 80s both days we were in the Steel City. It was sunny and humid, without a cloud in the sky.

I woke up race morning feeling fresh and ready to run. I ate, dressed and headed to the lobby with my running partners Gary and Audra.

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We bid our loved ones farewell and walked to the starting line.

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It was go time. I was antsy before we started running, but attributed to nerves.

There were other signs, however, that it was not my day.

Clue number 1: It was warm at 6 a.m.

Yep, it was hot and humid before we even started. Weather Service stats place the temp around 75 before we even hit the pavement. I struggle with speed in warmer weather. We should have adjusted our planned race pace to reflect the day’s forecast. But we were excited and knew we were well-prepared.

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Clue number 2: I felt like crap at mile 5.

I figured my energy would kick in several miles down the road. Some days I’m just not feeling it until I’ve logged a few miles. I just hoped the boost wasn’t too far off. Unfortunately, it never came.

Clue number 3: I stopped talking.

I’m typically a Chatty Cathy when running with my pals. I stopped contributing to the conversation shortly after mile 6.

“I knew something was off when you went quiet,” Gary said later.  “It’s not like you to be quiet for so long.” No offense, he added.

Gary and Audra kept asking if I was ok, I grunted affirmative answers. Audra checked if I wanted to walk and I declined. But I should’ve listened to her suggestion. There’s absolutely no shame in walking and it really may have made a difference.

Clue number 4: I couldn’t get enough water.

I grabbed multiple glasses of water at several hydration stations, dumping most in my mouth but some on my head. Gary handed me a drenched bandana to cool me down somewhere around mile 8.

Clue number 5: Things started turning purple.

That’s when I really started to take notice that something was wrong.

I’ve been overcome by the heat on training runs before and know that when start to see colors it’s time to listen to my body. That’s when I called it. This marathon wasn’t happening for me.

“Guys,” I grunted shortly before mile 10 and the turnoff for the half-marathon course. “I need to cut it at the half. I might make it 5 more miles but another 16 just isn’t happening.”

It killed me to say it. But I knew it was the right call. I knew if I dropped, they’d stop too. The last thing I wanted was to take my running partners down with me.

“You do what you have to do,” Audra assured me. “It’s ok.”

Moments later, we reached the split, I turned left with the half-marathoners and walked across a bridge that spanned the Monongahela River. Marathoners were running across the westbound lanes, and I veered toward the concrete barrier, prepared to climb over the wall, find my friends and to return to my rightful place in the race.

I stopped and shook my head. I couldn’t even run across the bridge, let alone another 16 miles.

I burst into tears.

I walked a half-mile or so before I started running again. I wanted to throttle anyone kind enough to cheer me on, assuring me I was running well and almost done. I wish.

Those last few miles were rough, I walked then ran and walked again. I finally saw the finish line and headed there as fast as possible. I grabbed a bottle of water and drained it.

A volunteer handed me a medal. I tried to dodge it, but it was plunked around my neck despite my protests. It was the least of my problems.

I made my way over to the family reunion area, where I fortunately located Gary’s wonderful family, who were surprised to see me, but took care of me nonetheless.

Two hours later, I was thrilled to see Gary and Audra finish the race, but teared up since I wasn’t with them.

Some runners tell me I need several factors to align on marathon day. I had trained properly – check. But the weather was not favorable. It was a good 25 degrees warmer than what I’d hoped for.

I should have heeded the warnings. There were so many things I could’ve done differently that may have allowed me to at least complete the race

But I didn’t. Life’s full of lessons, isn’t it?

Since May, I’ve completed two more marathons and am planning to run another in the fall. Can’t keep this runner down.

Have you ever had a race not go as planned? 

Couch to Carbs

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And so it begins…

C25K, Week 1, Day 1

Time 30 Minutes, Distance 1.30 miles, Pace 23:05

Sunday mornings in New England have recently been a complete snowfest. If you don’t live in a snowy area, you should know it makes a handy dandy excuse for not doing what you’re supposed to do. On Saturday, the forecast was calling for overnight snowfall. Yet, when I awoke Sunday morning, the roads were clear and my car did not resemble a small, white ski slope.

My reaction? ‘Quick, find another excuse!’

The original plan had been to get my run in while my daughter was volunteering for Special Olympics (9:00 AM). This made sense, since it’s AT MY GYM. BUT… I needed to get a few things at the store and I desperately needed a Starbucks Vanilla Blonde and I needed a few minutes to sit in my car and play Ruzzle (i.e. lose at Ruzzle). So, I moved running to the afternoon, while my son was at swimming lessons (1:00 PM).

This was fine, and equally convenient, since swimming lessons are also at my gym. SCORE. Did my errands, brought my daughter home, picked my son up from his sleepover. He said he had an upset stomach and I could see the beginnings of a cold. No matter, I’d go a bit later after I did my grocery pick-up (between 2:00-3:00 PM). Score.

My husband and daughter had an errand to run, so I was going to bring my son with me to the gym (to read in the ‘chill out, kids’ area). But his cold kept getting worse, so scratch that, I’d start dinner and then head to the gym once my husband was home (somewhere between 4:00-5:00). Score?

Dinner started, everyone’s home, I’m dressed in running clothes (which feelsl odd, since it’s been so long) and I head out the door to find… it’s snowing. Of course it is.

And that was when it hit me. I’d procrastinated this all day because I was nervous. Now, it was my last chance for the day and New England had handed me the perfect excuse. It was snowing! I couldn’t be expected to risk my life just to get this run in, could I? It was already after 5:00, and getting dark fast, and…and…and…

Screw that.

It was barely snowing, and even as nervous as I was, this was a commitment I made and some part of me knew that if I took this one excuse, I’d find a million others the next time.

Fast forward one hour and I left the gym. Sweaty, disgusting, already a little achy, and pleased as punch. My pace was worse than ever and I smelled like a camel, but I did it. Couch to 5K, Week 1, Day 1 was in the bag.

SCORE!!!

C25K, Week 1, Day 2
Time 30 Minutes 26 Seconds, Distance 1.50, Pace 20:17

Lawd, I did not want to run Tuesday. Like, at all. Nor did I want to stick to South Beach. Lots going on and emotions at an all time high made me want to dive headlong into a container of ice cream and my couch cushions.

I was trolling Twitter, which is always a good place to find excuses. Instead, I found this post by Holly, a woman who has lost over 200 pounds and just ran her first 5K.

You guys, I was SO inspired.

I read a few more posts, crying more than once, and continued to feel more and more inspired as I read. Holly’s story is amazing.

Then, I did something I’ve never done before. I sent off an email to a perfect stranger. Because I wanted Holly to know that not only had her story touched me so deeply, but that it had made it easy to make the choice I needed to make. (She answered too! Such a sweetheart!)

I hit send and headed to the gym. Because, as I said in my email, food wasn’t going to make this bad day better and exercise wasn’t going to make it worse.

It was a good run. A damn good run, for me, for Week 1 Day 2. I let my natural inclination to push a little more take over, increasing both my run and walk speeds.

And it felt…good. Really good. I remembered that running does something for me, something other than making me stronger and fitter. It makes me a little saner. That mindless focus on propelling my own body forward gives me a much needed break from the constant THINKING I do the other 23.5 hours a day (yes, even when I sleep).

Some days, I’m not going to make that choice. Some days, I’m going to opt for the oh-so-alluring ice cream/couch combo. Some days, I’m going to let the emotional rollercoaster plummet me into a black hole of blankets and a bag of Cheetos.

And some days, I’m going to say screw it all and just run.

C25K, Week 1 Day 3
Time 30 minutes, Distance 1.38 miles, Pace 21:44

And some days, it’s just a run. No magic, no epiphanies. It’s just a run. And that’s okay.

Tell me about your first C25K week?? Pretty please?

In non-running news, my relationship with South Beach Diet has proven, once again, to be a three night stand as opposed to a lifetime love affair. Not really shocking. I did make some amazing recipes (Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai, White Chicken Chili) that I will add to my healthy meals arsenal.

Here’s the thing. I like carbs. Not just the horrible, bad-for-me, empty carbs, but the good, healthy, complex carbs too. Can I handle a meal without carbs? Sure. And I do, regularly. Can I handle weeks or months without carbs?

No. No I can’t. Nor do I want to.

So new plan this week. I’ve got so much going on at home and the next few weeks are going to be more emotionally draining than any I’ve had; I think I’m going to employ some ‘do what you can’ mentality. I don’t have to be perfect, I don’t have to make the best choice every second. I just need to do what I can and let that be enough.

Or, I’ll start doing Weight Watchers again because it’s my default. I just know that eventually I’m going to show up at a meeting and confetti is going to rain from the sky when they say “Bec, you have signed up for Weight Watchers more times than anyone on Earth” and then they will hand me a free toaster.

And I will use it to make toast. With carbs. Because I can.

See you guys next week!

Too sick to run

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A nasty virus is going around and of course, late last week it interrupted my life.

I started feeling a bit under the weather Friday and by Sunday afternoon I felt like death.

A hacking, uncontrollable cough led to my lungs feeling ablaze. I think I actually got an incredible ab workout with my coughing fits. I’ll spare you the nasty details, but oof. I haven’t felt that awful in a long time.

All plans, including race training, went out the window.

Lots of herbal tea, water and vitamin D3 was consumed. And now that I’m starting to feel better, I’m wondering when I can hit the road.

I am training for two half-marathons in April and want to get back on track as soon as possible. My last run was Thursday – a zippy four-miler that felt fantastic. I skipped my long run last weekend, hoping I’d feel better and be able to tackle it early this week.

That obviously didn’t happen as I’d hoped.

So my plan? Wait until Saturday. While I don’t particularly want to take a week off of running, I know it’s the right call to let my body mend before exerting more energy.

So we’ll see how I feel this weekend. I’d like to get at least 6 or 7 miles in. But I have to listen to my body first.

How do you adjust your training plans following an illness?

runDisney’s 2012 Princess half weekend – Tangled 5k race recap

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Note – I wrote this recap last year after the Princess half weekend.  Since we’re getting Scoot A Doot up and running, I thought it would be fun to revisit recaps (and this one in particular, since the runDisney Princess Half 2013 weekend is coming up!). –

Victoria and I arrived on Thursday night and Brooke took us to her lovely abode.  We were both pretty exhausted so rather than drinking their extensive collection of wine (it was tempting!) we opted for bed.  Especially because we had a full day/weekend planned.

The Princess Expo at the Wide World of Sports was the next morning.  You want to see us there, don’t you?  Well, okay!  Here’s Shaina (wearing her daughter, S!), me and Brooke.

Princess half expo - Shaina, S-baby, Me and Brooke

After we bought some shirts and attire, we made our way through the expo and checked out some of the booths.  Like this one, for example.  WANT WANT WANT.

Bought some adorable compression socks from the ladies at Runningskirts, which we wore the next morning at the 5k (you’ll see those in a bit).  Bopped over to the next building and picked up our bibs for the races and then back to get our shirts.

Disney’s like a well-oiled machine and we really didn’t have any troubles during all of this.  There was one line for the half that was just SLAMMED; all the people seemed to show up all at the same time.  But all things considered, it was great!

I had gotten our park tickets through runDisney and since we were staying at Port Orleans, we had to go over to the resort to get our tickets.  They seemed a bit confused as to where I could pick them up – I was told the Guest Relations booth would be able to give them to us but they weren’t able to dole them out since it was part of a pre-paid package.  Thankfully it wasn’t too much trouble to go to the resort.

We spent the rest of the day at the Magic Kingdom, wrapping it up early since we had the 5k the next day.

Or should I say morning.  As in, before the sunrise.

Brooke, Me, Shaina and Victoria

Brooke, me, Shaina, and Victoria sporting our awesome socks!  They are still my favorites.

Brooke, her husband (Josh) and Vic went off ahead, placing themselves further ahead in the open corrals, because they are speedy speedsters while Shaina and I hung back.  It was Shaina’s first 5k and I wanted to take it easy since the next day was my first half.

While we were waiting to start, I got the nervous pee feeling.  You know the one, where you’re like… Oh!  I’m nervous and naturally that means I feel like I have to pee.

Except that we started the race and at the same time Shaina and I realized that it wasn’t going away and we actually HAD to pee.  Awesome.

Our view of the start from where we were in the corral. We should have moved up, for the record.

So we stopped at the first row of port-a-potties and took care of that.  😉

Lots of people walk the 5k, which is awesome – but they also placed themselves at the 11 minute mile corral.  There was a lot of bobbing and weaving but we just stuck together, tried not to run into/trip anyone and had a great time.

I’ve always had this vision of running around the Epcot World Showcase – it stemmed from a conversation that I had with my dad one summer while we were there on vacation.  So when we entered the loop at Mexico I was super excited and kept exclaiming to Shaina, “Isn’t this FUN?!?”  I’m not sure she thought it was as fun as I did but she said she did.  😉

Headed into Germany

It was just fantastic – I loved everything about this run!  Sure, it was crowded but I went into it thinking that it would be so I wasn’t expecting anything else.

The last mile

After we crossed the finish line we got our Tangled medallions and met up with the rest of our group.  Josh just finished the C25K program and was able to finish under 30, which was his goal.  HOORAY!

Vic and I after the race

Good times!