Friday, September 30, 2016

25 Things About Me


Happy Blogiversary!

I’ve been blogging for a few years now—my first post was September 30, 2013!—so I figured it would be fun to to let you in on some things you may or may not already know about me…


1.     I was a competitive swimmer before I became a runner. I joined the cross country team my sophomore year of high school after my swim coach told me I was good but would never be great.

2.     I gained the Freshman 20 in college and then I announcement my retirement from running.  Then in 2007 Meb Keflezighi ran his first Falmouth Road Race. He sat at our table during the post-race party and asked me if I was a runner. I told him I retired so he pulled out an autograph card and signed it with “keep running.”  The next day I started running again.

3.     Despite my job and active lifestyle, I can be the laziest person on this planet.  I love my couch.  It’s a great couch.

4.     My favorite TV show is Parks and Rec.

5.     My favorite Friends episode is “The One with the Birth Mother” (Season 10, Episode 9) because Joey just gets me… #onlychildproblems


6.     I love a good burger post-long run.  I’m addicted to ice cream. Gummy worms and powdered donettes are my weaknesses.

7.     I am very competitive at board games.

8.     I have always wanted to be on the Amazing Race.

9.     I dreamed about having a dog my entire life.  Georgie is my problem child pup but I couldn’t imagine life without her.  She loves rocks and you can follow her craziness on Instagram @GeorgieGSD – she’s practically a celebrity!


10. Don’t ask me to use any tools to fix things but I find putting together IKEA furniture very therapeutic and rewarding.

11. I’m not what you would call a thrill seeker.  Two of the scariest things I’ve ever done include sitting front row on Millennium Force at Cedar Point and riding the Niagara Jet Boats—both were with my cousin Melissa.

12. I have many fears including birds, butterflies, open water and ET.  The ET ride at Universal Studios?  Terrifying.

13. I maced a turkey once.  (See When Turkeys Attack)

14. I also fear running out of toothpaste, deodorant and toilet paper so I keep a drawer full.

15. No adventure runs for this girl!  I hate dirt, mud and being dirty.  I have a bad trail running track record.  I usually end up superman diving after tripping on a branch and one time I even fell in a thorn bush.

16. I do however love hiking and would hike the Niagara Gorge every day if I could.

17. At the Houston Marathon I got injured and ended up running 19 miles and walked 7.2 miles.  I’m signed up for #3 in January for redemption!


18. If I can break 3:30 in the marathon, I’ll never sign up for another one ever again. I have a big goal of running a 1:30 half and I wanted to break 20 in the 5k—which I did at the 2015 Jingle Jog.

19. I rarely listen to music when I’m running (safety first!) but if I did it would include a lot of rap and hip hop: Eminem, Jay Z, Weezy, Drake…


20. I live for football season.  (WE ARE!) (#billsmafia)  I am also a huge track nerd and love watching the three triple crown races with my dad.

21. I find any excuse to buy new sneakers.  Running shoes, work shoes, gym shoes, casual.  You name it, I got it—and in every color of the rainbow.

22. Birthdays are my favorite!  I celebrate my birthday month.

23. I’d vote Fallon/Timberlake for President and I think Pharrell is the most gorgeous man in the world.


24. My travel bucket list includes: Paris in the spring, go on an African safari, explore National Parks out west and make a stop at Track Town USA.

25. I write some of my greatest blog posts in my head while I’m running.  The problem is, I never remember them when I get home.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Weekly Roundup 9.19-9.25

 
20 miles this week!  Overall I’m feeling ok.  Not great.  I am having a bit of trouble with my breathing.  For awhile I was attributing it to the humidity and not running for a few weeks with my Achilles strain but Fall has arrived on Cape Cod and I’m still on the struggle bus.

I skipped my own run on Monday and decided to take Georgie out for a quick run in between the bouts of rain.  I was rushing and totally unprepared to run with Georgie, which lead to my worst nightmare… Georgie slipped out of her collar and got loose in the woods!  She wasn’t wearing the right collar and stopped to sniff.  I kept going.  I pulled the collar right off her.  At first she didn’t notice.  I called her and started running to see if she would follow.  She did but I stopped and that’s when she noticed she wasn’t attached to me anymore.  She gave me the look, crouched down then went into her crazy sprint mode back and forth through a big mud puddle.  I’m not sure how I got ahold of her but I was able to put her collar back on and we ran back home to BATH TIME.  The worst.


Our run on Friday was totally uneventful.  Thank god.

Then on Saturday I had company on my long run with Lindi Lou on the bike.  I worked Saturday morning so we didn’t head out until late afternoon but it was BEAUTIFUL.  The perfect fall day and the best time of year to be a runner on Cape Cod.  



Upcoming events:

·      5 weeks until the Cape Cod Half!
·      18 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 9.19.16
1.63 mile with G (16:06)
10,008 steps

Tuesday 9.20.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Boom Boom Pow Spin Playlist
8,813 steps

Wednesday 9.21.16
5 miles (37:57)
18,913 steps

Thursday 9.22.16
Power Water
6,484 steps

Friday 9.23.16
1.24 miles with G (11:29)
4.12 miles (30:36)
17,857 steps

Saturday 9.24.16
8 miles with mama on the bike (1:03:26)
20,010 steps

Sunday 9.25.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Harder to Breathe Spin Playlist
Burdenko H2O
13,398 steps


This week’s mileage: 20 miles
This week’s G mileage: 3 miles
September Totals: 60 miles
2016 Totals: 596 miles

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Harder to Breathe Spin Playlist

 
All new spin playlist. 5 hills. Let’s go!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough- Marvin Gaye   2:26  Warm up
Good Feeling - Flo Rida                                               4:08  Rolling hills
Work Work - Britney Spears                                     4:08  Climb, stand during chorus
Focus - Ariana Grande                                                 3:31  Seated/standing flat
End of Time - Beyoncé                                                3:44  Build
Keeps Gettin' Better - Christina Aguilera               3:04  Seated climb
Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis           4:18  Standing flat
I Love it feat. Charli XCX - Icona Pop                       2:37  High tension, high RPM
Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5                                   2:54  Build
My House - Flo Rida                                                     3:12  Alt seated/standing climb
Sorry - Justin Bieber                                                     3:21  Recovery before the final climb!
Blow Me (One Last Kiss) - P!nk                                4:18  Build to a standing climb
Mercy - Duffy                                                                  3:42  Standing climb
Pumpin Blood - NONONO                                           3:29  Cool down
Misery - Maroon 5                                                         3:37  Stretch

Monday, September 19, 2016

Weekly Roundup 9.12-9.18

 
Georgie got in a few more runs this week and I made my return to Run Club after missing 5 in a row because of an Achilles strain.  It was the last week of the 5 mile loop and so sad how dark it was getting as we were finishing up.


A highlight of the week was hanging out with my grandma, her friend Nancy and #BFFBarbie!  They made the drive from Western New York to Cape Cod for the weekend of adventures and a lot of laughs.


Upcoming events:

·      6 weeks until the Cape Cod Half!
·      19 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 9.12.16
1 mile with G (8:59)
8.656 steps

Tuesday 9.13.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Somethin’ Bad Spin Playlist
Marathon Sports Run Club! 5 miles with Kyle, started my watch late – 4.56 mi (41:42)
19,682 steps

Wednesday 9.14.16
0.97 miles with G (8:46)
10,030 steps

Thursday 9.15.16
Power Water
10,055 steps

Friday 9.16.16
1.5 miles with G (14:08)
2.5 miles (19:14)
15,695 steps

Saturday 9.17.16
7 miles (55:45)
Walk to the winery!
23,718 steps

Sunday 9.18.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: The Heart of Rock & Roll Spin Playlist
Burdenko H2O
10,991 steps


This week’s mileage: 18 miles
This week’s G mileage: 3.5 miles
September Totals: 40 miles
2016 Totals: 576 miles

Monday, September 12, 2016

Weekly Roundup 9.5-9.11

 
I’m back!  16 miles this week!  And guess what else is back… FOOTBALL!


The week started off with Tropical Storm Hermine on Monday and Tuesday.  I didn’t even plan on running on Monday (it was also Labor Day) but we woke up to uneventful weather and I was able to get in a mile with Georgie—it was our first run together since early May!—then 3 solo miles.  Georgie and I made it out for another mile Thursday morning.  She did great and I think she really missed running with me!


Friday I was STUPID.  Like for real.  I spent most of the day cleaning and throwing stuff away around the house—the main focus being my two spare bedrooms.  I was procrastinating and finally decided to run at 2pm.  Seriously?  2pm?  It was the hottest hour of the day (86 feels like 94 degrees) and a total strugglefest with multiple walk breaks.  I thought I learned my lesson but I procrastinated all day on Saturday too before finally making it out around 4pm for my long run of 6 miles.  Besides feeling totally out of shape and Garmin telling me I needed 3.5 days to recover from the run, it went ok.  HA.

Can I also just point out how much SLEEP I got this week? -->

Upcoming events:

·      7 weeks until the Cape Cod Half!
·      20 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 9.5.16
Happy Labor Day!
1 mile with G (9:17)
3 miles (24:25)
13,710 steps

Tuesday 9.6.16
Taught spin class
10,148 steps

Wednesday 9.7.16
7,339 steps

Thursday 9.8.16
1.1 miles with G (10:46)
2 miles (15:10)
Power Water
15,725 steps

Friday 9.9.16
2.95 miles (23:28)
13,882 steps

Saturday 9.10.16
6 miles (49:31)
16,447 steps

Sunday 9.11.16
Happy Anniversary to my parents!
Taught spin class
Burdenko H2O
12,666 steps


This week’s mileage: 16 miles
This week’s G mileage: 2 miles
September Totals: 22 miles
2016 Totals: 558 miles

Monday, September 5, 2016

Weekly Roundup 8.22-8.28 & 8.29-9.4

 
Hello out there!  Not too much to report on my end.  My Achilles is almost back to normal and I’ve started spinning and running a bit.  Staying cautious…

Georgie was doing great (other than her allergies acting up this time of year) until a recent traumatic event that resulted in a cut up lip and 2 chipped teeth.  She’s back on her antibiotics and more Benadryl.  It’s always something!


Upcoming events:

·      8 weeks until the Cape Cod Half!
·      21 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 8.22.16
8,093 steps

Tuesday 8.23.16
Taught spin class, 50’ min on the bike. The playlist: All IDo Is Win Spin Playlist
10,837 steps

Wednesday 8.24.16
0.5 miles (4:24)
12,254 steps

Thursday 8.25.16
Power Water
13,227 steps

Friday 8.26.16
8,275 steps

Saturday 8.27.16
1 mile (8:18)
7,614 steps

Sunday 8.28.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Bon, Bon Spin Playlist
Burdenko H2O
10,170 steps

Monday 8.29.16
10,367 steps

Tuesday 8.30.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Bon, Bon Spin Playlist
10,601 steps

Wednesday 8.31.16
2 miles (16:08)
15’ core
13,860 steps

Thursday 9.1.16
20’ TRX with Summer Circuits
Burdenko H2O
Power Water
14,308 steps

Friday 9.2.16
3 miles (23:48)
10,563 steps

Saturday 9.3.16
3 miles (25:16)
14,233 steps

Sunday 9.4.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Working for the Weekend Spin Playlist
Burdenko H2O
11,768 steps


Last week’s mileage: 1.5 miles
This week’s mileage: 8 miles
Last week’s G mileage: 0 miles
This week’s G mileage: 0 miles
August Totals: 610 miles
September Totals: 6 miles
2016 Totals: 542 miles