Ultimate Mother Runner Showdown

One month from today, I will be in Cumberland, MD for an exciting adventure.  Back in June, I found out that I was selected to be on Sarah's Team from Another Mother Runner for the Ragnar DC Relay. I have been a fan of Sarah and Dimity's for years, starting when they were blogging for Runner's World about training for the Nike Women's Marathon in 2007.  I followed them along as they wrote about their training, and when poor Dimity developed a stress fracture that relegated her to cycling on her trainer in her basement to prepare for the race.  I could relate to these "mother runners" as they chronicled their daily struggles with balancing training with the demands of being a wife and mother.  When they wrote their first book "Run Like a Mother",

I was excited to read it and was not disappointed. Through their personal stories of running and training, I was able to commiserate and laugh along. The book offers really practical information about being a "mother runner"such as how to incorporate your running schedule in with your spouse, including a hilarious description of "Horizontal Sweat Sessions", which can ensure that your spouse will be more agreeable to you being gone for a 3 hour run on Saturday after "intimate cross-training" on Friday night. They also incorporated quotes from other mother runners that offered advice and also provided relatable tidbits of information.  They since have written another book "Train Like a Mother" which I have found very useful.  The book offers several training plans for beginner runners, all the way up to a "Own it Plan" for the marathon.  I have used the training plans for the half and full marathon, and found it to be very helpful.  They also offer advice about nutrition for runners, cross-training and strength training advice and setting realistic goals for racing.
  Sarah and Dimity also have a busy Facebook page, web site, and one of my favorites, weekly podcasts.  I look forward to having a new podcast every Monday morning as I head out for my run.  Most recently, they interviewed Lauren Fleshman. Lauren is a pro runner who also just happens to be a fellow Oiselle runner.  She is also a new mom, and it was interesting hearing her take on running while pregnant, and postpartum.  She also offered many great tips on staying motivated during tough workouts and when set backs happen. If you're looking for a great running podcast, check out AMR Radio! You will not be disappointed. And if you're looking for some motivational running tops, check out their AMR Store. One of my favorites is the lifestyle tee "It's All Good. I Ran Today". Pretty much sums it up for me.
  Anyway, back to the Relay.  I was thrilled and honored to be selected to run on Sarah's Team (which will be known as Badass Mother Runners at the race).  It will be the Ultimate Mother Runner Showdown with a friendly competition to see if Sarah or Dimity's team makes it first to the finish line in Washington, DC.  Some of the ladies selected have been very active on Facebook, and we have been getting to know each other in preparation for the race.  We are all "mother runners" and fans of Sarah and Dimity's, coming together to run, laugh and chat.  And optimistically, sleep a couple of hours in the 24-30 hours we spend in the vans! As I found out with the Ragnar Relay NWP, these relays can be quite a bonding experience.
 As well as the fun of running the Ragnar Relay with the ladies, there is some great swag involved as part of being selected to be part of the teams: (as taken from the AMR website)

A rundown of what each relay runner will receive:
 Nuun: tasty hydration in non-sticky, super-convenient tablets (and sponsor of Ragnar)
 110% Flat Out Sox: squeezy gradient compression socks to keep your legs fresh and kicky
 Saucony: sampling of products from our fave running company
Sof Sole: custom-to-your-arch Fit insoles for cradle-like support
 AMR Top: to-be-determined (and designed) tank or shirt for our kickass teams
 Skinfare: organic, healing balms that soothe chafe, chapped lips and everything in between
 Ragnar: an entry to the mother runner version of the Amazing Race
NuttZo: delish organic nut- and seed-butters that are brimming with healthy, good stuff Hyland’s: Calms Forte, our must-have homeopathic sleep aid, and Muscle Therapy Gel with Arnica

As of today, I have received most of these prizes in the mail, and I have to tell you, it's been like Christmas. All these sponsors have been so generous, and it has been great sampling all these products.  I will have a more detailed post soon, with raves of some of my favorites. 
 For now, I continue to train for my second Ragnar Relay.  I have been assigned Runner #5, which means I run a total of 15.1 miles over the 3 legs.  There are some serious climbs in this relay, so I have been working on my hill repeats.  Luckily, living here in central PA, there are plenty of rolling hills.  No matter what, I know this weekend will be one to remember.

Birthday Plans for this Old Lady

 I was recently studying in my ACE Fitness Exercise Science textbook about how during intense exercise, some of the blood flow is diverted from the brain to the active skeletal muscles.  So, if the following plan seems to lack some of the common sense that I usually display, I am going to blame it on coming up with the idea during a 5 mile run on Tuesday. 
 My birthday is coming up next week, number 4-3 to be exact.  I always try to mark my birthday in some personal way.  Since the birth of my first child, on my 31st birthday back in 2001, my birthday tends to be pushed to the side in order to celebrate his birthday.  So, I tend to come up with something quiet, personal and only for me to mark the occasion.  Sometimes it is just a little on-line shopping spree, hair appointment, massage, or coffee with a friend that week.  This year I would like to mark my birthday with a special running goal.  About a month ago, when I started thinking about my birthday, I thought I would run 4.3 miles the day of my birthday and invite some of my running girlfriends to join me, followed by a trip to the local coffee shop for some "girl" time.  That is a very nice idea, and I still plan on doing that.
  But, on my run on Tuesday, the idea to run 43 miles during my birthday week popped into my head.  It seemed like a fantastic idea at the time.  I love those moments during a run, when various thoughts pop into your head, in between singing along with Pink and Fun. (my 2 current faves). Sometimes these light bulb moments pass, and I give them no more thought.  This one has been sticking there during the last 2 days.  I even sat down last night, looked at my training plan from Train Like a Mother 1/2 Marathon Training Plan, and contemplated if I can work the extra miles in.  It looks doable, even while taking my requisite 2 rest days.  I just need to make sure to make them easy miles and not push the pace, which could cause increased chance of injury.  I will be on week 6 of a 13 week plan.  The scheduled long run is 14 miles on Saturday.  My proposed plan looks as follows:

 Monday 10 miles
Tuesday 6.7 miles
Wednesday (birthday) 4.3 miles
Thursday 8 miles
Friday off
Saturday 14 miles
Sunday off

Total: 43 miles

It seems a bit daunting, but if I keep the miles "easy", and with alternating shorter and longer days, with the 2 rests days before and after my long run, I think I can do it.  I have been running 30 miles/week (with many of those miles as tempo and interval training) so this isn't totally out of reach.
 Important things to remember:
 - stretching and foam rolling is necessary post run, not just an optional activity.
- icing my shins with the 110 % compression ice sleeves will be done daily post run to prevent those nasty shin splints that may crop up
- I will listen to my body, and any signs of injury I will back off and rest as needed
- this is a personal goal, and even though I tend to be stubborn when it comes to meeting a goal, the world won't end if it isn't met.  Life can get in the way sometimes, with 3 kids, a husband, and all the demands on my time, running could be pushed to the side.  Things like illness and weather could also derail my efforts. I will be kind to myself, no matter what.
  Why am I setting this goal? I was just asking myself that as I decided to write down my goal in my Believe I Am Journal.  I wrote that I wanted to set and meet this goal in order to celebrate my birthday, and to feel "alive and well".  The "alive and well" thing is huge for me.  As I age, my mortality follows me like a shadow sometimes.  I know that sounds dramatic, and 43 is really not "that old".  It can feel old when you have a family history of heart disease.  My mother suffered a heart attack in her early 40s.  She passed away from heart disease at the "young" age of 62.  I do need to remember that she was overweight, did not exercise regularly, and did not eat the most optimal diet.  Her father also died in his early 60's  I need to remember that I am of a healthy weight, I exercise regularly, and eat a mostly vegetarian diet, with some healthy fish thrown in.  But, I also have had issues with my heart, including Wolffe-Parkinson-White Syndrome.  I'm not going to get into this during this posting, but I will share my story of that in a future post.  I had ablation to correct that condition, and came away from it mostly unscathed.  I see a cardiologist annually and am cleared to participate in vigorous exercise.  No complaints here.  Just stating all this to say that 43 does not feel so "young" when you are literally attempting to outrun your genetic makeup and mortality.  But I'm going to focus on setting and meeting this goal to "celebrate" my birthday.  I will run all these miles with joy in my heart, knowing that even as an "old lady" I am capable of doing it.  So, questions: Have you set a birthday running goal? What do you think of my proposed goal?

Wish me luck!

 

 

Goals From Mind to Paper

I have been formulating my goals for 2013 in my mind, and after receiving my second  Believe I Am Journal,  I have put them to paper. So, this is what I wrote:

Goal #1: Have an injury-free year.  I have never had an injury-free year, but I think I've learned enough over the last few years to make this possible.  The steps I will follow to achieve this goal: a)strength train 1-2 x per week b) stretch/ice as needed c) listen to my body. ie. rest if needed, don't ignore little pains that could turn into real problems d) gait analysis. I have a referral to a PT for this. My ortho doctor recommended it due to my frequent shin splints which in the past have led to tibial stress fractures. e) replace shoes and/or orthotics if needed after gait analysis.

Goal #2: 13 Races in 2013
 I have never raced as much, but this is a good goal for me. I will achieve it if I take the following steps: - space races appropriately (at least 3-4 weeks at least between races)
- find affordable, and if possible, local races
- plan at least 1 race/month.  I need to be pro active in this, the races are not going to just come to me.  I need to plan as much as possible. This is difficult only because after June, I don't know where we will be living. The Army may move us this summer, still awaiting the word on this. But so far I have races planned in Jan, Feb, March, and 2 in April. So, 5 planned already.
- Don't do too many high distance races.  I want to avoid burnout, and injury (see goal #1). So, no races over a half marathon for the first 6 months this year.  I have 3 5Ks scheduled, plus a 10 miler and a half marathon.
 - Being accepted into the Oiselle Team has really inspired me to set and achieve this goal.  As a team member, we are required to compete in at least 5 races, but I decided to step it up for 2013!

Goal #3: PR
 This one is tough, but achievable.  I know I am getting older, and time really isn't on my side. I do feel that I have faster races in me though.  Much of this is mental, so I'm taking the following steps to achieve this:
- speed work, in the form of tempo, intervals, track workouts and fartlek runs at least 2 x per week.
- follow training plan. I am currently using Train Like a Mother: Half Marathon Own-it Plan leading up to the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in DC in April.
- I need to learn to not be afraid of the pain. This is the hardest for me.  I tend to freak out when racing starts to hurt, and I pull back.  Mentally I need to push through this and remember that racing and pushing yourself to the limits HURTS.
 - by doing so many races, I have many opportunities to PR in several distances. In the past, I may have done only 2 or 3 races for the year, and if I didn't PR, and it wasn't my greatest day, the opportunity was gone. This should be good for me as I learn to race, and race better!
 Current PR's are as follows:
 5K: 24:10
 10K: 50:25
10 mile: 1:32
1/2 Marathon: 1:53

So, there you have it. My goals for running in 2013.  I also have some personal goals, which I have yet to put in my journal. Some of them include: passing my exam for personal trainer certification.  I recently ordered my study materials from ACE Fitness, and once they arrive, I have 6 months to schedule the exam and pass!
 I am also hoping to get my running coach certification.  Trying to work that out in my family schedule to get the training done in a weekend when it is offered. 
 Once I have these 2 certifications, it is time for this momma to find a job!!  It will be part-time at this point, since I still have one at home with me every afternoon.  But soon she will be in school full-time, and I am ready to venture out and fill my time with something I enjoy doing.  Best case scenario: I get paid to workout, and I get to instruct/inspire others to achieve their fitness goals. 2013 will be the year that I start working towards that goal.
 So, I have a good feeling for this #Lucky13!!

How about you?