Summer Running...Lessons Learned

Ten weeks out until the City of Oaks marathon in Raleigh and I got in a long run/walk this afternoon in the midst off of all the Back to School craziness. My husband fixed up the jogging stroller and I took my youngest out on a run/walk of five miles in the sunshine and 80 degree temps. During our hour-long run, I learned a few things.

Jeremiah was OUT by the end of the first mile.

• Running shorts are not meant for everyone. Girls with thick thighs are better off sticking to their trusted running capris. See = chafing.
• Pushing a thirty-pound kid in a stroller for any distance is much harder than running alone. Props to the mother runners who do this on a regular basis.
• Sticking to a training plan is essential. And yet life (at least in my case) doesn't seem to go as planned and, as a result, you may find yourself realizing that there may be more walking than running originally planned, BUT you are going to run as much as you can and you are going to finish. 
• Finding your WHY is important but taking that WHY along for the run helps push through the hardest miles. Having my li'l man with me today helped me push for five instead of giving up at two.

This weekend is our last before we head back to school.  The boys have their first day tomorrow and I begin pre-service training and the exhausting exciting task of setting up my classroom. Time to start getting in my runs first thing in the mornings or before bed.  There's a lot coming up and much to think about, so I'll need those runs.

A long and sweaty five, but a full five!

What lessons do you learn while running? Do you make important decisions mid-run or is it a time of meditation?

Running Alone...

It's something I do often. I run alone. I will try and meet up with a fellow runner and run with him/her but often, I run alone. Even when registering for races - we may start together, I run alone. It's not lonely in any way. It's comforting to me. I don't race. I just run. I know that I am not the fastest in the pack nor do I look like the "ideal", but I know that I am capable and I go. Running alone is something I have missed very much in the last two weeks.

Instead - my running and sadly, training is being interrupted by life. This time - in the form of children. My dear, sweet husband is away on a two-week trip with my father and several friends. They've left us for the great North, fishing in parts of Canada - becoming one with nature and the fishing pole, lol. This leaves me with our two little ones. Translation: running only happens when I'm chasing them or when they're asleep.  Factor in that the 4 year old doesn't always want to sleep and bedtime does not go as smoothly as envisioned and I'm too exhausted to get my runs in. Translation: Mommy is quite cranky. Ideally, I would make like Mary Poppins and produce a jogging stroller fit for two and take them with me. I know I put that bag somewhere...

My sister Carolyn and I pre-race.

I did manage to complete the Neon Run 5K but didn't have as good a run as anticipated. I'll recap the event in my next post but I've decided I will not run anywhere near/on the Fairgrounds except to finish the Frederick Half from here on out.  The combination of poor lighting/darkness, unclear course = fallen cones) and unsteady terrain = road, gravel, sand, grass made for a not so good run. I ended up rolling on my left ankle towards the end of mile two, hobbled and walked a half-mile before slowly jogging to the finish line. The  next morning I was relieved to find I didn't injure it as badly as I first thought and was able to put some weight on it with some run/walk intervals on the treadmill during random nap times.  I'm thankful it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been and I'm still able to push forward...and I will.

With two big events looming ahead - the Divas Half Marathon in September and the City of Oaks Marathon in November, I've got much less time to get in the training needed. I feel as though, once again, I will be putting in a bit more of run/walk intervals than I would have liked. It's discouraging at best but I know that a mile is a mile. I will get from start to finish and I will not be the first and quite possibly, the last BUT I will get there.

Never Give Up. 

Early Morning Walks

This week I'm slightly out of my element - my first summer off from teaching Extended School Year (ESY) has freed up my schedule and allowed me to do a number of things I haven't been able to do in ages. Namely - visit with my grandmother in South Carolina.  

For those who don't already know, my grandmother is currently fighting the good fight against my least favorite foe - cancer.  Factor in a few recent bouts with pneumonia and the usual accompaniments - BLAH. I spent many a summer with my grandparents and even my first semester of college living with them, so to say that we're close would be an understatement.

The sun just peeking out as we left.

My grandmother was still recovering from her second bout with pneumonia during our beach trip last month, so it has been wonderful to visit with her this past week and see her up and moving around more.  We've spent much of this week visiting, helping her clean house and just enjoying our time together.  

Attempting to hydrate pre-workout with nuun

Mom and Hollie leading the way!

With the high temperatures and humidity, we spend most of our time inside - it's easier on her lungs and my sweat glands. I'm not a pretty, pretty princess in this sticky, sticky heat.  That also translates into early morning workouts - 6:00 AM whereas at home, you'll find me out and about between the hours of 8 and 10 AM. 

3.5 miles complete! (6.3 with the day's shopping)

With 16 weeks left until the City of Oaks Marathon, I've begun my training - slowly working to build my running up from 3-mile average runs to the eventual 26.2. I'm still nervous and horrified beyond belief, but hopeful and focused on continually moving. I'm not as accustomed to this climate and my body has been fighting against me these last couple days. One of the hardest things I've learned in my running thus far - LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. So - I've been focused on building mileage through long brisk walks joined by my mom and my grandparents' favorite blonde, Hollie. 

Tired as a dog - LITERALLY!

This morning's walk ended with a wonderful breeze during the last mile - with 77 degrees a reprieve from the 99+ temps during the day.  My goal tomorrow is to get in at least 2-3 miles at a comfortable pace without feeling dogged.  

Enjoying a post workout coffee - LOVE.

How do you train for races in non-familiar climates? Do you stick with an indoor regimen courtesy of a treadmill or face the weather head on?

Glass Slipper Challenge Re-Cap: Disney Bound!

Spring is here and along with it, the sunshine, warmth and cool evening breezes.  I love this weather second to the fall.  I find myself wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops again.  I find myself running outside more than on the treadmill.  I have not been able to do so since mid-February, when I found myself in Orlando, Florida facing RunDisney's Glass Slipper Challenge.  Several points along the way, I was not sure I would make it.

January and February brought on the toughest months of winter - freezing temperatures, snow and more snow, ice, and snow days.  As a child, I loved snow days - staying home, watching movies and reading old books.  I still enjoy them as a teacher - BUT - give me too many and I'm done. DONE.  Over it.  Miss enough days of school and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain any sense of routine or intended instruction.  Things were getting increasingly chaotic at school and at home, the countdown was underway.  I was doing as much as I could to prepare myself mentally and physically - running on the treadmill, getting all of my necessary paperwork together, confirming substitute coverage and coordinating the details with childcare (a la the grandparents) and still, the weather bothered me.  The week leading up to the event slammed us with several school closings and reports of flight cancellations and delays. I crossed my fingers and toes and prayed we would still be getting out on time.

Our flight out of Washington, DC to Orlando was booked for Thursday, February 19th with a 6:00 AM take-off.  With President's Day on Monday, I had anticipated having a short week - Tuesday, Wednesday, flight.  With the foul weather, it ended up being only Wednesday. Our Tuesday consisted of another day spent at home and packing for our trip.  Wednesday, I went to school and spent the day finalizing my lesson plans for my substitute teachers, sending emails and setting up my room for my three-day absence.  As any fellow teacher knows, taking time off from school involves significantly more work than simply going in.  I left my classroom Wednesday and headed home to meet my mom, who would be watching the boys while we were away.  I had "sub plans" for her as well - all of the boys' school information and such.  Between getting everything ready and the building anticipation, I did not get to sleep until after 11:00 PM.

Three hours later...it was time.  I had set my alarm to go off at 2:00 AM in order to shower and have a quick cup of coffee before heading to the airport.  It also helped to get a head start on an early wake-up, since we would need to board our buses to Epcot on Friday and Saturday close to 3:30 AM, but more on that later.

Dennis had gone into work his standard overnight shift, coming home shortly after 2:00 as well.  We made sure we had our bags packed and re-shoveled parts of the driveway given the previous show and cold temperatures.  We kissed our sleeping babes goodbye and headed to meet my father, who would drive us the rest of the way.

For those of you who know anything about the greater Metro area surrounding Washington, DC know that the morning and evening commutes on the Beltway (I-495) and I-270 are quite hellish.  I avoid them at all costs, preferring back roads to stop and go traffic.  However, at 3:30 in the morning, it's a ghost town and the best time to drive.  Within an hour, my father had us at Reagan National. The ghost-like feeling followed us into the airport; online check-in took only moments and we arrived to the security check-point to find it not yet open and surrounded by fellow early morning travelers. So far, so good.  We were almost there.





Having flown out of Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International so often in the last years, I had forgotten how small of an airport Reagan is.  It took us less than 10-minutes to travel through security and find our gate.  Armed with a little bit of coffee and a blueberry muffin between us, we soon boarded the first of two flights, heading to Atlanta.  Having worked overnight and only sleeping four hours the previous day, Dennis was exhausted beyond means.  I alternated between sleep, reading and reviewing the Glass Slipper Challenge guidebook I had printed, making notes and additional lists.  Even on a run-cation, I make my lists.

We left the land of cold and ice, landing in a chilly Atlanta, to be greeted by fellow princesses at the gate for our connecting flight.  We fueled up with a "mandatory" and much-needed caffeine fix at Starbucks and soon boarded the plane.

We would land in Orlando at approximately 10:35 AM, greeted by sunshine, palm trees and dozens of princess runners.  It would be nothing compared to what we would encounter tomorrow.  Dennis and I caught the Magical Express to the Art of Animation (our new favorite resort), checked in and waited for everyone else to arrive.  My grandparents and aunt would be driving in from South Carolina and Veronica and her husband Riku would be landing after 5:30.   For the first part of the afternoon, I walked parts of the resort, in love with the Finding Nemo pool and our room in the Little Mermaid section, guarded by King Triton.  I was in awe, and still am, that we were finally here and tomorrow, one step closer to fulfilling a dream.

Next up? The Disney Princess Expo and Glass Slipper Check-in! 

Day in My Life (Laura)

With less than 30 days until Veronica and I are in Orlando for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon Weekend, we're currently in training and preparation for the Glass Slipper Challenge. What does this look like? If you glance in my backpack - a pair of running shoes, my iPod or iPad (road versus dreadmill run), banana and peanut butter sandwich and if I can remember, a headband for starters.  If you took a look at my kitchen floor, a glitter bomb.  If you've been following us on Facebook, you've glimpsed some of the sneak peeks we've been giving of our two costumes - one for the 10K, one for the half.  Every 50 likes, another sneak peek.  At this moment, I can't say what I'm working on but it definitely involves glitter. Lots of it. Glitter and glue, and a million other crafty goodies.

I decided to take a break from the crafting (the glue still hasn't dried) and catch up on a few of the blogs I follow.  Cynthia over at You Signed Up for What?! linked up with a few others to see what a typical day in the life looks like for one another in the midst of our running, triathlon-ing (not sure if this is an actual word, but go with it) and training.  As some of you may know, I don't get the chance to train nearly enough or properly as I would often like.  I'm hoping to rectify this in the coming week thanks to a Craigslist find and my amazing husband who will be driving to pick up a free treadmill for me this weekend! In the mean time, I figured, what better way than to give you a glimpse into a somewhat typical day in the life of.

5:00 AM - My alarm goes off. The first time.

5:15 AM - If I'm lucky, I'm up or telling myself, I REALLY need to get up. I stumble to the kitchen and get the coffee brewing. If the kids are still asleep and I can trick my brain, I throw in my PiYo DVD or Yoga with Adrienne and try to get in at least 20 minutes.

5:45 AM - I'm hopefully in the shower or showered and beginning to get ready for work.  Sometimes it's a matter of getting a little one settled down with the iPad or Disney Junior cartoons if they're awake before Daddy gets home.

DISCLAIMER: As a parent who whose work schedule is opposite of their spouse, parenting during the week often resembles a tag team wrestling match. My husband works overnights - he's gone by 9:30 at night until approximately 6:15 the next morning. I'm on my own with our boys through the night and most of the morning. My hat is off to any parent who is doing this on a regular basis without a partner in any circumstance.

My "Holy Trinity": Coffee, Shakeology, Water...

6:30-7:00 AM - I pack my lunch, pour my coffee into my thermos and blend my morning Shakeology. I've been drinking Shakeology for over 6 months now and it's my breakfast - easily the healthiest meal of my day and easiest. My absolute favorite - blending in some frozen mango and fresh banana with my vanilla.  It's helped me stop snacking on not so good stuff and keeps me full well until lunchtime.  I am out the door no later than 7:00, depending on my morning.

7:45-8:05 AM - I arrive to work after a commute no less than an hour long. I live on Elliot in the Morning or a book on CD.  Just finished Neal Patrick Harris' autobiography.  Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Better yet, listen to it. It's narrated by the man himself and hilarious.

This book is: wait for it....LEGENDARY.

8:30-4:00 PM - School. I work in a neighboring county teaching students who are deaf/hard of hearing in a program-based elementary school.  My caseload and grade-level changes yearly, so I have to learn to be quite flexible...I've taught K-5th and I won't lie, the primary grades are my favorite and the kinders have a special place in my heart.  This year I'm teaching K/1 students - I case manage 5 students in two grade levels but three separate placements; I have to juggle instruction/support for three locations with the support of two para educators. It involves a lot of scheduling, color coding and great time management.  I don't always get to everything I intend to, but I plan for it.  My kids have a lot of academic, physical, social-emotional factors to contend with on a daily basis. Sometimes I'm working 1:1 on a reading or math skill, sometimes I'm modeling language, and sometimes I'm just listening. I can't say too much about my kids at school but I will say this...they're something special and they're mine.

My color-coded week...sometimes it works.

4:00-5:30 PM - The commute home begins.  Typically I try to leave at 4:00 to beat as much of the traffic as possible.  This does not always work however, so my drive home ranges from an hour to two hours, depending on my luck.

You don't even need to get into the tub?!

5:30 PM - If it's been a good drive, I arrive either at home or at the babysitter's to pick up my two little guys, ages 4 and soon-to-be 2.  I wrestle them back into the car and head home, which is thankfully only a ten-minute drive.

Laundry...it multiplies faster than rabbits.

5:30-6:30 PM - Dinner. My husband and I have gotten much better in the last year at alternating meal preps.  I've been quite spoiled this last month since he has been off from classes.  Once his semester starts back up, I'm back on dinner duty while trying to resist the begging for snacks, fighting over the toy of the day/hour/week, and putting things away.

6:30 - 7:30 PM - After dinner, the boys get their bath.  This is the time I usually TRY to throw in a load of laundry if I can and get the dishwasher going if I haven't already. Odds are, I won't remember that it's full of clean dishes and needs to be unloaded first. Damn. This late in the day I usually remember all the the things that I have forgotten to do and start generating another To Do list for the coming day/week. I love lists a little too much.

7:30-9:30 PM - Bedtime for the boys... Lately, this is my weakest area of time management and am continually working on developing a better bedtime routine for us all.  There are times where we read books together in bed and we're asleep by 8:30. There are nights where someone isn't asleep until 10:00.  There are often nights I fall asleep laying down with said child(ren) and wake up beside a (please, please) sleeping angel and sneak out of their bedroom.

9:30-11:00 PM - I try catching up on a few things online, check work emails (if I feel self-abusive), or veg out and stretch. I sometimes I fall asleep in the midst of whatever task is at hand and find myself dragging myself to bed when I could've gone earlier. Note to self - go to bed earlier.

I'm sure by now you're asking...when do I run?! Well, therein lies my predicament.  This has been an ongoing battle of mine and unfortunately, given the opposite work schedules that Dennis and I have, the majority of my runs occur on weekends or days off. Some weeknights, I'm luckier and I can run before or after dinner, weather permitting. We also have friends with treadmills that allow me to come over and run.  But finding the time that works for all four of us isn't as easy as penciling it in some days.

Thank you, Craigslist. As I type, Dennis is on his way to pick up a treadmill for me.  A little bit of off-task web-surfing and I will soon be the proud owner of my very own "DREADMILL", although I'll be sure to give it a prettier name.  I love running outside and in a race a MILLION times more than running on a treadmill, but I also know, I love running and what it does for me. Come on, I run to burn off the crazy.

So...that's a glimpse into a typical day in our house.  It's not a perfect science, but it's ours.  How do you balance your days? Do you HAVE to complete certain tasks on certain days or do you throw it all to the wind?

Final Yoga position of the day: Sleeping Between Children

Disney Princess Training [finally] Begins!

Last Saturday I had my best friend over for dinner.  This might not seem like much, but to me, it's huge. I have not seen her in the flesh since mid-March.  While I appreciate all that Facebook, Face Time and other social media outlets have to offer, actually being able to interact with her in real-time was exactly what I needed.

As some of you already know, we are registered to run the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge this coming February. What you may not know, is that I have not been sticking to my training schedule as well as I should.  As part of the Glass Slipper Challenge, we are running the Enchanted 10K on Saturday February 21st and the Princess Half-Marathon on Sunday February 22nd.  Running back-to-back races is no simple feat, regardless of distance.  However, when faced with the prospect of earning three medals and running through the parks filled with various characters from our childhood?? Take our money, RunDisney! 

In order to prepare, RunDisney provides training plans designed by Jeff Galloway for all of their races, including the challenge events.  In my registration excitement, I downloaded and printed a copy of the Glass Slipper Challenge training plan which covers 19-weeks and has you running twice weekly for approximately 30-45 minutes, with long runs on the weekend.  Looks easy enough.  However, throw in a full-time job, a long commute, a husband working overnights and two little guys under the age of four and this momma is lucky to even get time or the energy to think about running.  Which, let's face it, sometimes just thinking about running is my exercise for the day.  However, thinking and doing are entirely two different things.  Especially when I should be in week 5 of my training and have barely done anything beyond a few short runs and a 10K.  

Reasons and excuses aside, I know I need to step it up - so Sunday, I did.  It took a kick in the pants from my husband and ignoring the guilt every mom or woman faces: "but, I need to..." and just going out to run.  I ran. I ran and I didn't stop until I hit 3.1.  Three miles...and just a little more. Three miles, three months, three medals.  I've got this - whether I feel like it or not, I've got (to do) this.

What about you? Are you struggling or kicking ass with your own training? Even if you're just working on incorporating more regular running...are you running as much as you're thinking about it? What motivates you to get out the door - do you need a reminder on your Google Calendar or are you like me and need your husband (or whomever) to physically push you out the door sometimes?