#POWERMONTH

It's finally here - we're in the last month leading up to our first marathon.

My last few weeks of training haven't been the best. Yesterday I set out on a 5 miler and couldn't make it through. Granted I had about zero nutrients or water in my body and it was insanely humid, so it probably wasn't the smartest idea to run at the time. I haven't really been taking care of my body the way I should be.

But for this last month, I'm making a promise to myself - get my body ready for this marathon in every way possible! I'm going to call it...

Hyration . Nutriton . Stretching . Running . Sleep

These are my 5 frames of focus for this race. Constantly drinking water (which I've actually been doing really well with!), cutting out the junk (including my high sugared-high creamed coffee x_x) and loading up on healthy foods, stretching for at least 20 minutes every day, staying on my running plan, and making sure I'm getting enough sleep.

This is where it all counts, and I want to be prepared for this race as possible. 

I think I can ask at least a month out of myself to get ready in every way!

#POWERMONTH - Let's do this!

Training Update: Lazy Long Distance

With a little under 7 weeks to go until Hartford, I've been swinging between long distances and complete laziness. Marathon training has been tough and has definitely brought out the whiney couch potato in me.

"But I don't WANNA go running!" -Me. Almost every day. Also I think I heard a two year old saying something similar just the other day...

I'd like to sound noble and awesome and tell you that I've gone out on every single run my schedule has told me to do, but then I'd be lying (and that's the opposite of noble and awesome). The truth is that I usually skip at least one scheduled run every week. Sometimes my body is just not up for it, so I make up excuses in my mind and I can't get myself out the door.

I am, however, going on my long runs. Like, high-teen mileage status. Because I'm slacking on my mid-distance days, they're probably a lot more difficult than they should be, but they're getting done, none the less. I am still pretty apprehensive about this whole 26.2 business. So far I've only made it up to 17, and 18 is in the cards for me this Saturday. Those are long distances, and I'd still have an additional 8 or 9 miles to go on top of that come race day. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I guess I've just got to trust my body and brain to push me across the finish line.

(Here's my vlog from my 17-miler. I seem cheery mid-run, but the next day update makes it clear I was struggling!)

With these critical last 6 and a half weeks of my training colliding with the busiest possible time of year for me professionally, it's definitely going to be a challenge to get my booty out the door when all I want to do is hide under my blankets watching Netflix during my down time. But these 6 weeks are going to go by in a blink, so I'll be strapping the Nikes on and pounding the pavement and looking forward to October 13th when I can be lazy and not feel guilty! :P

Blogger turned Vlogger

HEY EVERYONE! I figured the ol' running blog needed some dusting (considering I haven't written in about 3 weeks... >_>), so I wanted to drop by and say hello!

There's a million excuses I could give you for not blogging here, but I'll save you the other 999,999 and give you the only excusable excuse I can think of - I've been logging all of my training on my YouTube channel via vlogging!

I told you guys a while back about my vlog project for the last 16 weeks of training, and I've stuck with it so far! Unfortunately, it's leaving me a little less motivated to utilize this beauty of a running blog, but I'm hoping to change that. I can't let another blog of mind wind up in the internet cemetery for under-utilized websites! :P

To tide you over until I can come up with some fresh material, here's a little training update:

1. I ran the Foam Fest 5K with my parents on the 13th! It was a lot of fun, and is on my to-do list of race reviews, but until then, here's the video!


2. I still have yet to officially register for Hartford (These damn bills acting like they're more important. Pshhhhh) but I'm still training for it like I am. Eventually I'll scrape up the money to get myself a bib, and I'm hoping that's within the next few weeks or so!
3. I'll be honest and admit I've missed a few runs, and in an attempt to make them up, I've totally stressed myself out. Since stressing myself out during this training is the one thing that I want to avoid, I decided to ditch the make-up workouts and stick to the schedule. It feels like the world's been lifted off my shoulders!
Hope you guys haven't missed VStR too much! I'll try to make a better effort of giving this space some love. In the mean time, check out the MaraVLOG playlist on my channel!

16 Weeks to Go!

Whattup y'all!

GUESS WHAT. There's only 16 weeks (even less now!) until Louie and I run the Hartford Marathon! That means it's time to kick our training into HIGH GEAR! 

I've decided that I want to vlog my training throughout these 16 weeks to document my journey. I just posted the first video on my YouTube channel this morning, in which I talk about my training plan and the vlog project itself. Make sure you subscribe and check back every Sunday for a new video! :)

P.S. You can find the training programs that I talked about in the video here!

I Dream of Sneakers

...the title of a hilariously terrible sitcom, starring a girly running geek, such as myself.

Considering that I've had the same running shoes since July 2012, I'm in desperate need of some new sneakers. Every run is painful, and I know once I get some better cushioning on my feet, my speeds and confidence with longer distances will come back. I'm currently ballin' on a budget, so brand new sneaks are hard to swing. But it doesn't mean I can't drool over the prettiest, most obnoxiously colored shoes out there!

Asics GT-1000 (2A)

$100

Asics GT-2000 (2A)

$120

Asics GEL-Excel33 2

$125

Asics GEL-Blur33 TR

$90

Nike Free 5.0

$100

Nike Air Max+ 2013 Premium

$190

Nike Zoom Structure+ 16

$110

Training Update: Amp Up the Mileage!

It's finally that time, folks. With my next race over a month away, there's no better time to start shooting for higher mileage in my training and focusing on preparing myself for Hartford (less than 6 months from now! O_O).

This week I've knocked down 6.5 and 8.5 mile runs, and after a day or two of rest & stretching, I'm hoping to get into the double digits. So far, I know I can run 13.1 miles. A half marathon is the longest distance I've ever run at one time. By the end of May, I'm hoping to push myself into the 15-16 mile range. The overall goal is to get into the low-20's by the end of the summer.

Physically, I know I can complete a marathon. It's the mental aspect of running 26 miles that I need to work on. When I'm out on my longer runs, I get extremely bored and keep glancing at my watch, wondering when it will be over. I never really get this boredom when I'm actually racing, but when I'm training alone, I can not wait for the hours of running to just be over so I can be around people I can talk to.

Lucky for us, Louie and I don't live too far from each other, and we're both equally intimidated by taking on long runs on our own. Our big plan for the months leading up to Hartford is taking on the same long run every week TOGETHER, so we both have someone to motivate us and get us past those mental blocks that make long distance running so difficult! (With, of course, and amazing post-run meal.)

We'll be sure to update everyone on how our longer runs go as we get closer and closer to 26.2! :)

Training while Sick

Even though it's technically spring, winter doesn't look like it's leaving us any time soon here in New England. It's like we're north of The Wall up in here! (If you don't get that reference, I'm not sure if we can be friends.) 

With the weather stubbornly hanging in the 40's longer than usual, tons of people are getting sick. I've been teetering on the brink of sickness all winter, but luckily (*knock on wood*) I haven't been hit yet. However, I know that if I do end up getting sick, how detrimental it can be to my training.

I came across this little rule of thumb while researching marathon training last spring. There is a trick to training while you're sick, and it's pretty easy to remember:

If your sickness is above your neck, it's OK TO TRAIN!

This includes...

• Headaches
• Head colds
• Sinus infections
• Etc.

If you're feeling dizzy or faint, get your rest, but if you just have a cold or a mild headache, it's typically okay to lace up and hit the road.

If your sickness is below your neck, it's NOT OK TO TRAIN!

This includes...

• Stomach bugs
• Fevers
• Chest colds
• Etc.

These are ailments that usually take a long time to recover from, and your body needs all the energy it can get to fight it off. The best thing to do is to take a few days off to let your body recover. If you still feel the need to exercise when you're experiencing a below-the-neck sickness, try something low-impact like some band exercises or yoga.

Obviously, I'm not a doctor, and this rule probably won't work for everyone, but I find that it's a good way to figure out if I should push through the pain or sit out a day or two. Gauge how you feel, and go from there, and if you're really not sure, check with your doctor or athletic trainer before continuing your training regimen.

Good luck, and stay healthy! Spring will come soon! (I hope...)

Trapped on the Treadmill

We here in New England were hit by a major blizzard this past weekend. There was about 2 feet of snow where I live, not including the huge drifts that ended up burying my car:

Poor little car!

For those of you who don't live in colder climates during the winter, it's extremely dangerous to train outside on the road when there's huge piles of snow on the ground. Snow banks make it hard for cars to see you, you can slip on ice that's covered up, and in extreme cases, cars can slip on ice and hit you. In winter weather like this, it's best to train in one of my least favorite ways - the dreaded treadmill.

AKA the dreadmill.

Personally, I much prefer running outside. There's more to look at, there's hills that will keep you in better shape, and it's nice to get some fresh air after being inside working all day. But when there's piles of snow on the ground and I have a race right around the corner, it'd be stupid of me to attempt a run outside.

The treadmill isn't all bad. I love using it for speed workouts, shorter recovery runs, and warm ups for lifting. I know a lot of people who even prefer the treadmill over running outside and can pound out 10 miles on it with no problem. I don't think I'll ever understand how or why they do it, but maybe over these next couple weeks I'll learn.

...haha, yeah right!

So I'm trapped on the treadmill until some of the snow clears off. I usually avoid the treadmill like the plague if I'm running for longer than 45 minutes, but with Hyannis being 12 days away and the snow from Nemo still fresh on the ground, I'm going to have to suck it up and run my 8-10 milers on this torturous machine. Let's just hope I don't go flying off the back of it!