A Walk in the Park and Training Schedule Tweakage

15. August 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: recreational fun, running, Uncategorized, vacation · Tags: , , , ,

Happy Hump Day!

How goes it? We’re having AMAZING weather here in NYC this week. Today it was 62 degrees at sunrise. Um, hello? It’s August! But I’m not complaining. This is my kind of weather! And it’s also Duncan’s favorite weather. At first I thought I’d take him out to run the doodle mile once or twice with me. But then I decided he deserved to have a nice off leash “sniff-like-there’s-no-tomorrow” walk in the park.

off to sniff out the squirrels

off to sniff out the squirrels

What a treat when I found some honeysuckles still out. They usually only last through June.

so fragrant!

so fragrant!

We had such a nice walk that after work I took him back for another walk before sunset.

photo 3

I REALLY needed both walks….probably more than the doodle (ok maybe it was a tie). I’ve been struggling lately with a whole boatload of “small stuff”. Well really, it’s more than small stuff. It’s more like big decisions I need to make when it comes to life/work balance. We all know I am quite runner-centric but walks are really just as important to me.

Training Tweakage: So I took a look at my calendar and noticed i’ve got a very busy second half of August. Next Thursday I’ll be headed to the Adirondacks for a few days. So I shuffled around some of my runs. Instead of doing my long run on Saturday, I’ll move it until Sunday when I’m home. That leaves me with a 6 miler that would normally be on Thursday morning but i’m starting my road trip at 6am and I don’t really want to run at 4am. So, since my Saturday run is moving to Sunday i figured that i could move Thursday’s run to Friday. Now the only snag is that I like to join my friend Donna (who I will be staying with) for long walks in the morning. Usually 4 miles. And it’s my favorite part of going there (well second favorite…..making S’mores is my favorite=). We talk and enjoy the beautiful vista of mountains and meadows. This pic was from last year’s trip….

Westport NY in the Adirondacks

Westport NY in the Adirondacks

So My 6 miler might end up being a 3 or 4 mile run either before or after our 4 mile walk =)

It’s always good to make a plan. Don’t ever let your training schedule surprise you. Re-arrange proactively and you’ll feel calmer and more in control.

Tomorrow i’ve got a 6 miler to bang out. I’m so excited that the weather will be a repeat of today.

Question: Any tips for how to fit in your exercise/training schedule and not letting life get in the way? 

Sweat Out the Small Stuff

 

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California! Here I come!

04. July 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: running · Tags: , , ,

It’s 11pm here on the East Coast and I’ve got to be up in 4 hours. Catching a flight to the Left Coast in the morning. Vacation: here I come! Starting off in San Francisco! By the weekend there will be an iconic shot of me running over the Golden Gate Bridge.

placeholder picture

placeholder picture

Of course I better make sure my running outfit doesn’t clash. Oooh right! There’s my tidbit for you…when running while traveling, make sure your running outfit matches the scenery for the most epic photo momento ever!

I’ll try and post a bit while i’m gone. In the meantime see if this picture makes you feel as guilty as I do. This dog is a ham sandwich and a half!

A dog's final plea: don't go on vacation! Please!

A dog’s final plea: don’t go on vacation! Please!

Question: Have you been on vacation recently? Or do you have one planned? Will there be running involved?

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When small stuff feels like big stuff

27. June 2013 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

That mild groin pull from yesterday…well by last night it was really throbbing and sore. Today I made the decision not to run again. Ugh! It felt like having to make a decision to move cross-country to take care of an ailing great aunt or something. I actually cried last night as I bargained in my head “if it doesn’t hurt in the morning then…”. Well this morning my friend texted me at 7:30am (I’m off from work on Thursdays and would normally be running at that time). He asked if I felt like going to IHOP for pancakes. Well look at how the universe works? My favorite “i feel sorry for myself” food is pancakes! So I immediately said yes and off we went. I went with just regular pancakes. A stack of 3. (450 calories without butter or syrup). Something happened somewhere between the last pancake bite and our drive home…I realized that:

a) there are people with truly debilitating ailments right now. I remember how a fellow blogger is in the midst of an extremely long flare from Crohn’s disease.

b) not being able to run DOESN’T mean I can’t be active at all

c) those pancakes were delicious.

So I decided to get into my running attire (like a true dork i put on the exact outfit I wore to my most recent marathon where I PR’d), strap on my Garmin, drive to my favorite running route along the beach and……WALK! That’s right I walked out the small-stuff-that-felt-like-big-stuff-but-was-really-small-stuff! And I sweat probably just as much since it was 82 degrees with a 1,000% humidity. I am lucky that this injury is still mild enough that it isn’t causing me to limp or anything so that I could walk.

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After a lovely 4.25 miles and a few quick inhales of the intoxicating honeysuckles, i was on my way home feeling more in control and less stressed about the not being able to run stuff. I’ll do this again on Saturday and once more next Tuesday and then hopefully I’ll be back in action for next Friday when i’ll be visiting the Left Coast for vacation!

So my words of wisdom today are this—have a moment or two to acknowledge what it is that making you anxious or stressed. Feel it for a bit. For me it was the good cry before bed and the simple act of friendship with conversation over breakfast that got me to feel it. But then grab hold of that feeling and squash it like a bug by coming up with a plan. A good solid plan to stop the downward spiral. For me that plan was a long walk. I might not have been huffing and puffing but it was the best mental workout i’ve had in a while. And that is sometimes more important that the physical part.

Question: Where is your favorite place to go to unwind or decompress? 

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