photo a day, round three

It's retreat week at work. That means that this weekend, 240 people are headed off to the north country (New Hampshire) for a weekend of connection - to each other, to their awesome leaders, and to God. It'll be a great weekend, no doubt. But getting ready for it makes for a busy couple of weeks leading up to it. It leaves me satisfyingly tired at the end of the day, like I really did something. All that to say, I totally slacked off on Sunday and Monday in regards to training, but in my defense I had very little (if any) extra time. So I was sufficiently rested after my long run - on the treadmill, ugh - from Saturday to get 6mi in today after work, also on the treadmill.

Oh, yeah. And I'm still doing the pictures...that's what you may have come here looking for. Here they are! January 19-27.

19. Breakfast - homemade granola and Greek yogurt, a break from the usual Shakeology.
20. To Do List - I didn't do my chores that day...in fact, I'm just today doing my laundry.
21. Blue - my busted Asics. I just really like the colors on these so I wear them for T25 and to work at REI.
22. Nice! - Hello, Planet Fitness in Reading. It's a bit nicer, and newer, than the one in Woburn. Membership, transfered.
23. Bedtime - Yeah, I worked all day at REI then ran 12mi on a treadmill. I deserved to go to bed as early as I wanted.
24. My Space - To afford the gear, gym membership, and race fees, I have a job. This is my office.
25. A Taste of Winter - So that's why I've been spending so much time at the gym...
26. Fun Stuff - I found a place that has Kentucky Bourbon Ale on tap. Mmmmm.
27. Something I Bought - I love buying dinner at Whole Foods hot bar. And I don't feel guilty about the expense because I used a gift card. Win/win.

Missed the previous photo-a-day collections? Find the first one here, and the second one here.

spring training

It's time to get serious. I've been just winging it so far with this training cycle but this morning I knew I needed to get some things on paper. Things being my Long Runs. Duh, duh, DUHHHHH! If I don't see it written down, it doesn't really cross my mind (which is why I still have a calendar that I write in). So I took out my planner and penciled in all of my upcoming long runs. I'm not daunted by the mileage yet...but I know the week before an 18miler, I'll begin getting a major case of butterflies. Yes, even after all the years I've been at this, I still get nervous before a long run.

So below, in all it's amateur glory, is my training schedule. From Feb thru May. You'll notice nothing on April 26th, that's the day my good friend John is getting married. I gotta be there for that! What you don't see is a half marathon on the schedule for April 27th. It's the third race on the schedule for this year! I'll tell you more about it another time. I like company on the back half of these longer runs...so pencil it into your calender as well and come join me!

photo a day, round two

After a busy day of running, walking, an unexpected snowstorm, and back to back baby showers, I've finally found time to post the second installment of #fmsphotoaday! Enjoy.

1. Manmade - my Macbook, on which I write most of my blog posts.
2. Looking down - at my shadow while running. It's really hard to take a picture while you're running...
3. Colorful - my favorite running socks. I can't decide if I like the yellow, pink, or green the best.
4. Makes me smile - it's the splash guard in my Nalgene.
5. Three things - I went for a rainy run with a friend this past week. I needed my hat, my vest, and my Nike+ Sportwatch.
6. Black and white - This is hanging up in my room, alongside Chicago's poster and Louisville's poster.
7. Sun - the sun was hiding this day...but it's there behind all those clouds!
8. Tiny - yesterday was a long day and my grande iced vanilla latte felt very tiny (couldn't stretch that to relate to running, except that I've told you before how much I love coffee!).
9. Happy place - Lake Quannapowitt, one of my favorite places to run, watch 4th of July fireworks, watch the sunset. It's definitely a place that makes me very happy.

If you missed the first nine days, check them out here. I realized after I put the photo together that the numbers should be 10-18...but you get the idea.

meg's miles

On Monday morning, Jan 13th, Meg Cross Menzies was struck and killed by a drunk driver while on her morning run. So on Saturday, Jan 18th, the running community will honor her with the miles we run. This hits a little close to home for me, and I'm sure for a lot of you reading this. We are runners. We love to be outside, enjoying whatever weather Mother Nature throws at us. We get anxious about drivers not paying attention. We feel nervous about people texting while driving. We wear ridiculously bright clothing in order to be seen even on the darkest evening. All that, and we cannot prevent the tragic from happening.

I hope you'll join me in running in honor of Meg on Saturday. Whether you run 1mi or 10mi, run them in honor of a woman who died doing what she loved. And if you are a praying person, pray for her husband and the three children she leaves behind. I know that tragedies happen every day, but that does not make even one less tragic.

Find out more about the virtual memorial run and about Meg here and join the Facebook event here.

inspiration in unlikely places

Unless you live under a rock (or don't particularly care for American football), you know that the New England Patriots and their fans have a pretty big day on Sunday. They made it through the divisional game, quite handily, and will face the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game at 3pm. I'm hoping a friend who has a better TV than my 1994 tube TV will take pity on me and invite me over to watch the game (hint, hint, friends).

Sometimes, I don't care to read articles about upcoming games - I tend to stick to headlines to get the gist but not the full story. But today I was reading an editorial found on boston.com called Obnoxious Sports Fan. He writes specifically about Boston sports, duh, and what team he's writing about depends on the season, duh again. Today I was reading the full column because the title intrigued me: "Once again it's New England against the World." I came across this thought that sums up New Englanders but that also could be applied to many of the runners I've met through the years:

Growing up in Greater Boston, we learned that effort was the first and most necessary ingredient in life. You are never allowed to quit at anything worthwhile until you win or become successful. However that's defined. Nothing comes easy. We were raised not to raise our hopes to unrealistic levels but to never stop believing in ourselves. Eventually, if you did everything right and didn't screw over the next guy [karma is big in these parts], you might be a winner. You also learned how to make money on snow days with some hustle and a quick shovel. 

I love that line: We were raised (or I'd argue for runners - we've learned over time) not to raise our hopes to unrealistic levels but to never stop believing in ourselves. It's so easy to raise our expectations to crazy levels, fail to meet those levels, get discouraged, and eventually give up. But when we set goals/hopes that we know are achievable, we find ourselves meeting them time and again. And we continue setting goals that are more challenging and more intense and we continue to achieve them. 

When I started running, my goal was not a marathon. My goal was a 5K. When I reached that goal, I set out to run a 10K...you get the idea. It was over time and after a number of smaller accomplishments that I set and achieved my goal of a marathon. I never stopped believing in myself and have reached that level 5 times. 

All this to say, if you're just starting out, keep setting smaller goals and keep meeting them! Don't give up trying and believing in yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to. Trust me - if I can, you can. 

Also, GO PATS!!!!!

stellar

It's been a while since I've had a week of workouts that I felt good about. This past week was one of those really good weeks. Even dailymile.com thinks so!

I was able to work into my schedule three days of T25 and three days of running; 5, 6, and 4 miles at a time. While that doesn't add up to too many miles, it does add up to a solid, or stellar, week of training. One that I feel really good about.

There are times when I put in a lot more miles that it doesn't feel stellar. I think it has something to do with starting again and being proud to have fit it all in. That should be celebrated because sometimes it's hard. It was especially hard for me over the holidays. Working full time and part time and being a part of the Christmas services at my church kept me on my toes - and out of any rhythm, workout-wise.

But (as cheesy as it sounds) it's a new year and a new start. I'm excited to make this year a great, or dare I say it, stellar one. ;)

photo a day

Last year during the month of January I followed a fun photo-a-day challenge on Instagram. Each day a prompt is given for that day's photo. You can then post your photo to Instagram (or another social media outlet) with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday. It was fun, but I didn't want to keep going after the month was up. There was too much pressure (that I probably put on myself) to be creative and I just didn't feel like it. Ha!

It came up again this January by someone I follow on Instagram. I decided it would be fun to do it again, but I didn't want to just post the pics to Instagram. I wanted to share them with you! And since this is a running blog, I am trying to make sure each photo has something to do with being active, if not running specifically.

With that intro, I give you the first 9 days of #fmsphotoaday!

1. Lunch - Often at lunchtime I'll try to sneak in a run. It's been awfully cold here so I did a T25 workout in the basement of my office building instead. (Truth be told, I took this one on Jan 2nd.)
2. Starts with G - My friend gave me this shirt for my birthday. It's a reminder of why I push myself and who I'm taking care of my body for.
3. My Town - You all know how much I love where I live! This is heading thru town towards Lake Quannapowitt - my favorite running route.
4. Words to Live By - I saw this on runnersworld.com. A good mantra for running, and for life.
5. Found - Last Sunday I found time to run 3.6mi (the mileage is a little off on my watch here, for the record).
6. Happens Everyday - Coffee, coffee, coffee! Even on race day (especially on race days!), I always have a cup of coffee.
7. Upside Down - When stretching with T25, this is how I always see my feet... I wore leggings tucked into my boots all day, that's why my ankles look wrinkly. They don't look like that for real.
8. Favorite Number - My favorite race distance is a half marathon, hands down.
9. Natural - I drink a lot of green tea. A lot. I prefer mine with a natural fruit flavoring - this one is raspberry.

cold. too cold.

I'm not sure where your line is but I'd have to say mine is around 10deg. And that's with no windchill. If there's a windchill colder than that, I am not going to run outside, no way. Perhaps others enjoy proving how tough they are by running outside in that kind of weather, but I'm comfortable enough to say that I'm a big ol' wimp.  

This morning I woke up to -7deg temperatures. NEGATIVE seven. I had six miles on my plate for the day and there was absolutely no question I was going to the gym. I spent about 10min outside yesterday (in similar temperatures) shoveling and cleaning off my car and was frozen to the bone - running tights are not made for negative temperatures. 

We're supposed to have some weird weather this week - 45deg on Monday?! - so I hope to get a few runs outside but for days like yesterday and today I am thankful for the gym and for at home workouts - shout out to my T25 people!

What's the coldest you feel comfortable going for a run or whatever outside?

two...so far

Well, happy new year to you! The Northeast is celebrating by welcoming another snowstorm - this one bringing about 15in. As I sit here at my desk, I am watching the flakes get bigger and come down faster. Yipee. I like the snow, but it just makes training runs more difficult. And sometimes I resort to going to the gym for long runs - 15mi on a treadmill is not fun (something I learned in 2013).

"Training runs for what?" you may be wondering. The very best motivation for sticking with my training (and staying sane) through the cold, snowy months is by signing up for a race. This year, I've signed up for two...so far.

The Black Cat 10miler on March 1st is held in Salem. The course will be a familiar one to me as it is one I have run many, many times. From historic downtown Salem up to Marblehead Neck and back. It's a beautiful course and I'm excited to run with other people this route I typically run alone!

The Maine Coast Marathon is on May 11th - aka Mother's Day - and will begin in Kennebunk, into and around Kennebunkport (perhaps President Bush-the first one-will be at the vacation home!), and on into Biddeford. Judging from the website the name is very fitting as most of the course is along the ocean providing beautiful views to distract runners from the pain only a marathon can produce. I hope to run this one with (but not really with) my friend John (indispensable in my own training for Boston) who will be trying to qualify for Boston.

If you're interested in racing and are looking for someone to run with, let me know and sign up for one of these two!