Monday Inspiration

Today was a hard day to get motivated after a fun and relaxing weekend with Ryan. Work was busy and my body didn’t feel like working out. But alas, I dragged myself to the gym for my lunch time spin class. As I was walking past City Sports, their window display caught my attention.


I will train harder.
I will run faster.
I will stretch deeper.
I will SWEAT!

Loved it – I thought it was a pretty cool window display. And that was my motivator for the day and the week. I thought of this window during spin class. There wasn’t many people in attendance, probably about half the bikes were full. We started with the usual warm-up, jumps and off to the first seated climb for a full song. The rest of the class consisted of hills or sprints, where we ended on a 5 minute hill and 20 second sprint at the end. The hardest circuit we did was ten 10-second sprints, where the recovery was standing position. I found this hard because I went ALL OUT on the sprints and it was a struggle to transition to standing (or also known as running position). This really burned my quads. But it was a good workout and my body *glistened* at the end. The SWEAT was accomplished.

*What inspires you to workout?*

Right now I think there are many motivating and inspiring factors. The obvious to stay in shape and to lose weight. I’m happy with where my body is at now, but would be happy to lose another 10-20. I’ve come a long way since college but miss my pre-college bod.

Cops for Kids with Cancer:
But my biggest inspiration is running the Boston Marathon for Cops for Kids with Cancer. My great uncle is a retired Boston superintendent-chief of police of Boston. He joined forces with other cops and the Garda Detective Pat Hanlon of the Immigration Unit in Cork, Ireland. Together, these forces raise money for kids with cancer. The money mainly goes to the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Mass General Hospital and the floating hospital for Children at the New England Medical Center. More recently, this organization has been able to provide scholarship money directly to families who have kids with cancer to help with-treatment expenses. THESE children are my inspiration for my Boston Marathon training. I think of them when the run gets hard and I want to give up. Running to stay in shape is an added bonus. But my heart is with these kids. There’s nothing I like more than to be able to help someone. If you’d like to make a donation to my fundraiser please visit my website. My goal is to raise $3,500. Lauren's Fundraising Website

Week in Review:
Last week I was able to get in my lunch-time spin on Monday and Thursday, ran 45 minutes on the treadmill with my friend Katie on Tuesday, rested Wednesday and Friday. I never gave myself time to recover after running Derry, and they were much needed.

Saturday I ran 10 miles with my Team Challenge friends Meredith and Katie. We ran the Minuteman Path from Somerville into Arlington Center and back. The path wasn’t as plowed as we thought. (For those of you not in MA, we’ve been absolutely hammered with snow and about 2-3ft more to come this week.) It made for a tough run, slower pace than usual, and a few stops for my Crohnies :) All in all, it was a beautiful day and nice to spend time running with the girls to catch up.

Week Ahead:
With the impending snow, my mid-week runs will definitely end up on the treadmill. Tomorrow night I’m hoping to get in 5 miles on the treadmill, doing some interval speedwork. Wednesday’s run will depend on the weather and if I get to the gym. Thursday I’ll do spin and Friday I’d like to finally use the gift certificate from Ryan to Back Bay Yoga Studio. I’ve been saying for some time now that I will get some yoga in. My training plan says yoga on Fridays. I’m hoping to make it concrete.

This week’s long run calls for 11 miles – gearing up for the Hyannis Half Marathon on Sunday February 27th. A couple of the girls are out of town, so I’ll probably do a solo run around the city again.

Song of the Post: "All of the Lights" - Kanye West ft: Rihanna

Recovery

I’m sure you’re all going to call me crazy. But today I went to my lunch time spin class. Don’t worry, I took it easy. It was extremely hard for me to hold back and not want to turn up the resistance or sprint as hard as I could. But I knew I would be hurting even more tomorrow if I did that. So instead, I kept the resistance around 5-8 and the sprints a tad slower. The spin instructor must have noticed I wasn’t going that hard because she asked if I was okay!

The class in general was boring today. I was a little bummed out I needed to take it easy, although it was for the best. The spin instructor wasn’t feeling well, so she taught the class off the bike and used the same routine from Thursday’s class. I was disappointed but really like her a lot so I got over it. I used the repeat class as another positive to having to take it easy today.

 

How and Why I Began Running….

Many people have been asking me how I started running. Usually I give them the simple answer, that I began running with Team Challenge, to support Crohn’s and Collitis. But in reality, it’s a longer story and journey. Since spin class wasn’t anything to write home about today, I figured my blog post would be about how I got to where I am today…the LONGER version.

In college I played hockey for two years, volunteered as a coach my junior year and “hung up” the skates senior year. But for my first two years, I participated in the much dreaded “dry-land season.” Dry-land season begins 4 weeks before ice practice begins, typically around September 15th. Our team would meet on the 300’s field or at the gym at 6am every morning. Practice would begin with a team stretch, followed by a team run broken up into pace groups. When we returned, it was plyometrics and sprints to the max. I’m sure it could have been a lot more hard-core, but for us, it was hard. You knew you were on the hockey team when you were limping around campus, it was a struggle to get down the stairs or you were the first ones in line for breakfast at the cafeteria.

My first “dry-land” season was great. I worked hard, made friends with my teammates, and got into shape for hockey season. Little did I know the damage I had done. First practice and try-out of the season (from what I remember of the timing), I got on the ice. Something didn’t seem right. My right ankle was bothering me. I was in so much pain, I could barely skate. The trainers said it was a “skate bite,” which basically meant I tied my skates too tight. But the pain didn’t go away. Before I knew it, I was in the training room in the whirlpool, getting ice and stim almost every day. The treatments that lasted days, turned into weeks and months. I was a regular. I would pull my chart and set myself up. Before long, I was seeing an orthopedic and getting x-rays. I went to the hospital, got the shot of die, and the super cool x-rays came up. The black dots appeared all over my legs. I had the beginning of stress fractures and shin splints. My running days were over and possibly my hockey days. I was out for the rest of the season, because as many of you runners know, there is no cure but to rest.

My teammates were extremely supportive. I still went to every single practice to watch. I went to every single home game. I travelled to every single away game. I was determined to still feel a part of the team. I was so heart broken. Eventually Christmas break rolled around. I was starting to feel better and back on the ice I went in January 2004. However, I was so far behind everyone else. We were doing suicides on the ice and I was dogging it big time. But I kept going. Eventually I got some ice time and a goal during the season. At the end of the season, the team nominated me for the “Ice Knight Award” – for my dedication and commitment to the team no matter what. That meant a lot to me and still does to this day.

Fast forward to September 2004. Dry-land season 2. This did not go so well. I still couldn’t run. So while everyone else was running and doing plyometrics, I was on the stationary bike. Alone. Then eventually a couple more people were hurt and I got company. But I wanted nothing more than to be killing myself outside. My sophomore season didn’t go as well as I wanted to either. I just couldn’t overcome my injuries.

I eventually gave up hockey and became dedicated to calling 802-658-3333 at 2 o’clock in the morning (aka Dominos). The weight piled on and I felt disgusting. But it was college! Well, I wish I hadn’t. I wish I made time for the gym and for healthier food. So after college, I moved home. My mom being a gym rat, motivated me to get back into things. I signed up for the gym and started going with her in the morning or after work. I loved my kick-boxing cardio class. It was more boxing moves with the real gloves. But it helped get the weight off fast. Then I eventually started on the treadmill. Slowly but surely, I got back into running and with little pain.

Dad and my stepmom Beth live in Georgia. One day during either 2007 or 2008, I went down to visit. Beth and I went to the gym and I hopped on the bike. It was so cool because they had tv and internet! So I started surfing the net. I somehow stumbled upon triathlons. I told Beth I wanted to do one! I never thought I’d actually sign-up. But May 2008, I created a vision board, printed out the registration for Nantasket Beach Triathlon. My training wasn’t that great, but that summer I did it. I completed my first sprint triathlon in September 2008. I was hooked. I wanted to do another one but never got around to it. Maybe this year?

And then that January I got a flyer in the mail for Team Challenge. Race in California? Half Marathon? Run for Crohn’s and Collitis (which my friend from high school had been diagnosed with)? SIGN ME UP! I attended an info session at the Boston Public Library. I was brought to tears. Everything just sounded perfect. I had to raise nearly $5,000 but I knew I could do it. Before long I had run my longest mileage yet. Team Challenge setup long runs on Saturdays at different locations in Mass. I went to almost all of the practices. I was amazed  by how much I could actually do.

Race day finally came, July 2009. I travelled alone, but with my teammates and soon to be new friends, to Napa Valley, California. This weekend changed my life. I got to know some of the most amazing people. People running for family or friends with the disease, people RUNNING who HAVE the disease, and people running just because it’s a good cause!! AMAZING! Everything about this program was amazing. And before I knew it, I was snapping pictures left and right as I ran 13.1 miles. Everyone thought I was crazy for carrying a camera, but I didn’t care! I wanted to enjoy every minute of it and capture every minute of my experience (and let me tell you, people were jealous of my AWESOME pictures!).

I was hooked. When was the next race? Before long, I signed up for Portsmouth Seacoast half marathon, setting a PR by 33 seconds (and not much training between races, oops). My friend Craig was trying to convince me to run a marathon. I wasn’t convinced. Until, the CCFA sent out an email in December 2009, stating they had bibs for the Boston Marathon for those who wanted to apply and fundraise. I thought about it, asked others for advice, and sent it my app. I was chosen! I was going to be training for my first marathon. Luckily I had some wicked cool new running buddies to help me along the way.

Morale of the story? If you asked me 7 years ago if I would run the Boston Marathon in 2010 and 2011, I would have thought you were nuts! I see it as a miracle that I can even run after the injuries I went through. But there’s just always been something in me to keep going. Call it motivation. Call is determination. Call is CrAzY. But I have fun and learn a lot about myself along the way.

I know I'm not fast, I know I'm not a great runner, but I am a runner!

Race Recap: Derry 16 Miler–Boston Prep Race

“Moderately Challenging” is the theme of the Derry 16 miler. And the race is pretty much just like the picture.

 

I was pretty nervous going into this race because I didn’t know what to expect. Last year, I wasn’t ready and far enough into my training to run this one. However, I’m glad I did. As tough as it was, I was really able to push myself today and finish before my goal time. A bunch of Team Challenge Alumni ran the race. It was nice being able to hang out with everyone before the race. One of our friend’s aunt and uncle also graciously offered up their place close to the race. A few of the girls stayed there, while Ryan and I met them this morning for bagels and bananas! We were all mentally preparing for what we were about to face.

We got to the gym at the school where the race started and ended, and the line for the numbers was outrageous. But before long, we each had our numbers. My number today was #623. Decent number. We put on our extra layers, met up with the guys and stretched a little. Before we knew it, we were walking to the start in about 10 degree weather!! I’m the slowest of the bunch, so at the start I turned on my ipod and ready to rock-out for 3 hours. Before Chris headed up to the front he said to me, “just enjoy it.” That definitely calmed me down. The gun went off, and the runners were off, dodging a few pot-holes in the beginning.

Before long we were climbing the first hill at about mile 4. This wasn’t so bad I thought to myself. I cruised up the first hill, taking fast, short steps, looking right ahead of me and not at the top. I always tried to find someone near me to pace myself going up the hill. For the most part, this worked for me. As much as the up-hills were hard, there were also some HARD down-hills. Your hamstrings and knees really have to work together so you don’t go flying down the hills too quickly. But these also helped me to pick up speed. I had a GU after this hill (lemon-lime, not bad!).

At mile 5, Ryan was standing with our friend Jani and Catie’s aunt and uncle to cheer us on. It was so great to have people outside cheering for us all as we ran by, especially on one of the coldest days yet! So many thanks and kudos to them. Extremely grateful for how supportive Ryan is and that was evident once again today!

 

After mile 5 we had some relief before hitting mile 9, the next big hill after the water stop. This one wasn’t too bad but then mile 10 hit. And the hill was enormous, just a winding up-hill road that latest about 2 miles! It was pretty ridiculous. I had to walk this one a bit, but I took long strides to get up to the top faster. There was absolutely nobody around. The fast people were most likely done and there was a pack of people behind me. I was so glad when this hill ended. It took awhile for my legs to come back but around mile 13, where I saw Ryan, Jani and crew, I powered through and took a right up yet another hill, crossing the 13.1 check-point. I PR’d my half marathon time, which only gives me confidence going into the Hyannis Half Marathon in February (where these ridiculous hills will not be present!!).

At 13.5 miles, I looked at my Garmin. “Ok, only 2.5 miles left. You can do this. Just finish.” I was SO ready to be done and SO wanted to finish in under 3 hours. I pushed myself SO hard these last couple of miles. Finally passed mile 15, then coming back around to the start around 15.5, and I see Ryan and Jani at the top of the street waiting for me. OMG, I am almost there! It was such a good feeling to see these two. They ran the last stretch with me and watched me from behind as I crossed the finish line in 2:53! I sprinted the last 500 feet or so – and what a feeling it is to cross the finish line.

It was extremely hard to breathe, going from the frigid cold air to the warm, musty air inside the school. I had a coughing fit for almost 20 minutes. I was so sore and tight. We got right into the food line, but nothing seemed appetizing. I gave my pizza to Ryan, chugged the water and forced down a cup of chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate to warm up. We headed back to Catie’s aunt and uncle’s house to shower and change. It was nice to be able to “celebrate” for a bit with the girls. Everyone did such a great job! It’s so nice to have a group of friends to look forward to running and racing with.

 

 

Official Race Times:

5 Mile Mark – 52:34 / 10:31 pace

10 Mile Mark – 1:46:17 / 10:38 pace

13.1 Mile Mark – 2:22:53 / 10:55 pace

Final – 2:53:31 / 10:51 pace

 

(ANYONE KNOW A GOOD WAY TO PASTE IN THE GARMIN DETAILS?)

 

Song of the Post: "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson (from my race mix – and sort of the theme of my race, to keep going)

Training Week Recap

This week was a tough week for training with busy annual meetings at work and more snow. But I did the best I could to prepare for the big, hilly and COLD race tomorrow.

I stuck with my Monday and Thursday spin classes during lunch. The spin instructor Jen is great. She’s very enthusiastic and because she’s a yoga teacher she brings some of those elements to spin class, while still keeping it intense. Monday’s lunch class was filled with women and one lucky guy. Usually the class isn’t full, but since Monday was a holiday for many, more arrived. The class was pretty intense, with a warm-up, up-downs, sprints and hills. The circuits were fast and with short recoveries in between. I can’t say enough about spin class. I really can feel a difference in my legs this time around. They feel more loose, stronger and spin definitely helps keep my cardio level up. Not to mention, a nice break in the middle of the day during work. Thursday’s spin class had far less people. I had a hard time getting into it. I think I was tired but the mental game just wasn’t there. But the last 15 minutes, something kicked in. Whether it was my mental game or my competitive edge. I didn’t want the one dude in the class next to me to sprint faster than me or the girl in front of me to do her single jumps faster. So I brought my A-game and was still sweating after my shower and return to work.

There wasn’t much running this week, but I tend to not run much the week before a race. I like to save my legs. I did a treadmill (TM) workout on Wednesday that included speed-work. I had a 5 minute warm-up, followed by 20 minutes of intervals, starting at 6.0, increasing by .1 each minute, and then back down again. I really don’t like the TM and this is the only way to get through a TM workout when it’s dark, cold and snowy outside.

Friday – Fail. We got snow again in Boston which made for a messy morning. I ended up working late and rather than fitting in a short, meaningless workout before dinner with Ryan and friends, I decided to skip.

Today I plan to eat a lot, carb it up for tomorrow’s race. I also plan to spend a lot of time with my foam roller today (sorry Ryan)!

 

Now that I have a few posts, please let me know what else you’d like to see! Hope to have some pictures up after tomorrow’s race!

 

Song of the Post: "Cruel to be Kind" - Letters to Cleo (Random, I know…but it was a song from spin class and ironically from one of my favorite all time movies!)

Tour de Boston

Got to love being a winter runner. Snow, ice, puddles, chapped lips, wind, etc. But today was a perfect day for winter running! The sun was out and it was gorgeous!

As much as I love running with my friends, it’s always nice to get in a long run alone (although a dog would be a nice companion too). Today I mapped out a 12 miler through some Boston neighborhoods. It’s amazing how close things really are! I started out from my apartment, through the South End, Bay Village, Back Bay, Beacon Hill (incorporating in a hill!), West End, North End, Waterfront/Seaport, and back into South Boston.

I ran out of water around mile 7 which stunk! It was extremely windy along the water (see picture insert below) and it slowed me down a lot. I was feeling great but always seem to hit a wall around mile 10. The last couple miles were hard. Perhaps it was the snow and ice on the sidewalks, dodging walkers, chapped lips, ran out of water and the WIND! The wind definitely dragged me down going around the Sugarbowl at Castle Island. Overall, I am extremely happy about my pace and getting the long run in. I feel more confident going into the hilly Derry 16 Miler next weekend and being able to PR the Hyannis Half Marathon in February.

The legs were definitely tight when I got home. I plan to stretch, foam roll and ice frequently during the game! It’s amazing how much of a difference the foam rolling makes! I’m also looking forward to spin during lunch tomorrow to loosen up the legs!

 

I came home to chili and the crockpot and made my first loaf of cornbread! Go Pats!

Today’s Workout: 12.01 miles, average pace 10:31 mi/hr

 

Song of the Post: "World's Greatest" - R. Kelly

Visualizing

One important aspect of any sport is one that is often left out, visualizing. I can remember from high school and college, coaches reminding us to incorporate this into our mental preparation for games. High school coach Phil often would say, "you girls can't shoot the puck in the ocean!" (Typically adding several F or S bombs.) Here he was trying to get us to visualize shooting and scoring on the net. Not sure how that compares to an ocean, but he thought yelling would work (sometimes it did). In college, the coaches made a little bit more sense. Bacon would come into the locker room and guide us through a "hockey meditation" once in awhile or give us a pep talk about visualizing. Even Coach Donovan would incorporate it into his pre-game talks.

I was never the best hockey player on my team but I've always had heart. I've always given it my all, encouraged my teammates and brought 110% to practice and games, even if I was hurt or warming the bench. But one thing I always did was visualize. It helped me to think about what I needed to do on the ice or any other sport I played.

So where am I going with this?

Yesterday's Workout: Yesterday's spin class included up/downs, a series of hill climbs/sprints, hill climbs, sprints on a flat road and ended with up/downs. The spin instructor is also a yogi. So as much as she has the intensity of a spin instructor, she always brings some of the yoga qualities to spin class. She asked us to close our eyes as we entered the 15 second hill climb, picturing a hill and then picture taking off from the pack as we transitioned into a sprint. Some people in the class don't partake in the visualizing but being the nerd I am, I didn't hesitate to close my eyes. I brought the visualizing and the intensity, as I pictured running up the last leg of "Heartbreak Hill" and sprinting down Boylston street to the finish, while picturing the faces I would hope to see!

Even though in spin we are on a bike, it simulates runing in some aspects. So if I can't visualize during my runs, I'll at least have spin class to mentally prepare.

Song of the Post: "Ill Behavior" - Danny Byrd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u1vq8xI1Vg&feature=related (again, from spin class...awesome song for sprints - definitely going to add it to my running mix)

No pain, no gain…

Last week’s workout will hopefully set the tone for the next few months. Maybe not quite the intensity, but at least the consistency. This time around I am hoping for consistent weekly workouts. One thing I feel as though I’m missing is the mental game. Last year I was mentally preparing and this year I am physically preparing. But at least I know what to expect from prep races to the crowd to “Heartbreak Hill.” I am definitely excited and wish Monday April 18th would get here.

Yesterday’s Workout: As you know from my last blog post, I made a new purchase for my “running gear.” I love my new Garmin Forerunner 110. Yesterday I used it for the first time when I went for a 3-mile run on the Charles during lunch with a co-worker. He is much faster than I am and ran ahead of me most of the way. But once the Garmin found the satellites, I tried to stay at or below a 10:00 min/mile pace. I felt pretty good, although I tightened up quite a bit at my desk afterwards. I’m still trying to figure out the right food for me for fueling before and after, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Upcoming Race: The Garmin sports watch is really going to help during my up-coming races. On Sunday December 23rd, I’m running the Derry 16-miler Boston Prep race, which is a very hilly course! The website says runners should finish within 3 hours or the dreaded “sag wagon” will be picking people up! But the results from last year show the last person crossing at 3:43. My goal is still to come in at or before the 3:00 mark, which means with the hills, my pace needs to be below 11:15 miles. I’m banking on the Garmin, some GU and my running buddies also running the race. Encouragement needed!

Today’s Workout: As many of you know, we got slammed with snow. Which left for very limited options. But I helped my friend Diana shovel her car out and then we tackled my car. We didn’t get nearly as much snow in my neck of the woods as I thought. But enough for it to bring out the best in Southie for parking. So today, I’m going to count my shoveling and stretching as my workout. I also plan to test out the Yoga dvd my sister gave me for Christmas.

 

 

Song of the Post: "I Like It" - Enrique Iglesias

Not a typical workout….

Today was a very exciting day! My new Garmin Forerunner 110 came in the mail! A friend of mine told me about Amazon's Textbook Buyback Program. There’s a couple different options and I chose to sell directly to their distribution warehouse and take the money upfront. I made enough to cover all but $4 for the Garmin!! For those of you not tuned into the running (or tri-athlete) world, this is a GPS-enabled sports watch. I can get my time, distance, pace and heart rate. I’m sure it can do many more but I have much to learn. If anyone wants to give me a lesson let me know! I was using the Nike+ chip with my iPod, but I didn’t really like it that much. Hopefully the Garmin will be able to provide some accurate data for some solid training this time around.

 

 

Today’s Workout(s): Let’s just say my legs felt like bricks and jello today. I was happy to avoid the stairs but it was a struggle to walk 20 feet from my desk to the printer. For those of you from my college hockey team following the blog, I felt like I had been through “dryland” again! However, I powered through and made it to my Thursday spin class at the gym. It was my lucky day: hill climbs and sprints. Although, the class went by faster than usual and my legs felt a lot better. Upon walking back to the locker room, I bumped into Earl. I jokingly told him I hated him, we laughed about “losing the contents of my stomach” yesterday and he encouraged me to keep going. He was nice enough to give me a free training session and told me to setup another one in a month. He really cares about his clients.

 

I’ve been wanting to try out some of the running gear I got for Christmas. The foam roller from Ryan’s Dad has definitely come in handy the past couple of days, as well as the yoga mat from my sister for stretching. The foam roller really hurts but I can feel such a difference immediately in my muscles. For those of you that have no idea what I’m talking about, check out these foam roller exercises from Runners World. They really help!

 

However, I’ve been dying to try out the headlamp I got from Ryan’s mom!

 

So, I was continuing with my bad-ass/intense theme this week and also went out for a 5 miler run with my running buddy Kim from Team Challenge, the running group I ran for the past couple of years for Crohn’s and Colitis. My legs were tight at first but by the end we were running an 8-minute mile!! And for those of you that run with me, that’s FAST for me! I was so proud of myself. Off to stretch I go…

Distance: 5.14 miles

Overall Average Pace: 9:52 minutes/mile

I guarantee that a spin class and run will never happen in the same day (extremely rare occasion). But I didn’t do anything Tuesday and tomorrow I won’t get a workout in. Overall, I think I pushed myself out of my comfort zone this week and am pretty happy with that.

Song of the Post: "The Time (Dirty Bit)” – Black Eyed Peas (from spin class!)

Intro into my Training World

At the end of my senior year in high school my homeroom teacher gave us each a bookmark with a quote on it. Mine read, "Never underestimate the power of a dream." The quote stuck with me ever since. Thus, the name of the blog.

As many of you know, I'm an overachiever to say the least; always planning new goals, ambitions and my future. After conquering one goal, I'm always trying to set a new one. I'm addicted to bettering myself and beating my own goals. This can be a good thing and a bad thing, sometimes pushing myself too much.

So to start off the new year and a new decade, I've decided to start a blog. The blog has actually been in the making for 2 years, mostly in my mind. I started the account but never started the blog. I didn’t know where to start and started reading other blogs first. 

The blog will mostly be about my training, struggle with eating healthy and also weaving in what's going on in my life. I want this blog to help keep me accountable for my workouts and to use it as a tool. The blog will also allow me to describe the challenges and rewards of running, including things I will learn about myself, running and the journey. I'm hoping the blog will open my eyes to set new goals and to strive to accomplish new things.

Some highlights to look forward to this year: training for the Boston Marathon 2011 on April 18th for Cops for Kids with Cancer, training races including Derry Boston Prep, Hyannis Half Marathon, Stu's 30K, Eastern States 20 Miler, and some fun 5Ks and 10Ks in between. With lots of other plans outside of the running world, 2011 should be a busy, fast and hopefully healthy year. (Hopefully I can figure out how to add the races to my blog on the right like most of my runner friends do!)

Hopefully I’ll have the bad-ass jacket and a personal record (PR) on April 18th :)

 

Today’s Workout: Lunchtime weight training session with my trainer Earl at the gym. He offered me a free “refresher” session. Included foam rolling, side planks, 5 minute warm-up on the moving stair machine (first time and wow what a workout), back-bar lunges, back-bar rows, pull-downs….and the session ended early with a run to the bathroom where I lost my breakfast (or what was left over). I would call it a success…and a first-time vomit session post workout. Actually, we had to end early because Earl didn’t want to have to pick me up off the floor. He added hamstring rolls to the mix. We agreed I should do the weight training twice a week and strength training once a week. I’ll be hurting tomorrow, that’s for sure!

And for something fun, each blog to contain a "Song of the Post."
Song of the Post: "Forget You" - Glee version