Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Weekly Roundup 11.21-11.27

Week 7 of 16

I completed a 16 miler this week!  Woo woo!  My training plan only called for 14 but the timing just seemed right.  Weather was decent (well it was a bit damp and breezy), dad was on the bike and a 3-day weekend helped me to fit in a stress-free 16 miles.  It’s important to have a plan yet stay flexible because life can get in the way!  Next weekend I am running the Jingle Jog on Saturday morning then going to the CCR Christmas party on Saturday night and I work all day Sunday so I was starting to get worried about where/when/how I was going to get it done.

My goal for the long run was to take it slow and stay comfortable.  I’ve run 16 miles before but it was my longest run since the Cape Cod Half and the first time running over 13.1 miles since the Houston Marathon almost an entire year ago.  I was definitely reminded how much distance hurts and came to the realization that Miami will be here before I know it.  

 
As for the rest of the week…

Monday we returned from North Carolina!  After a long day of travel, I got out for a quick 3 miles before the sun set.  I was sad to leave G so soon after we got home but she was in her doggy day care coma and didn’t want to be bothered.


I missed Run Club again after an extra long work day.  On Wednesday I opted indoors to get my workout done on the treadmill.  I hated every minute of it but I was thankful for my headphones and not getting stuck running in the dark.  Georgie and I slept in for what seemed like forever on Thursday morning but got out the door for our own little Thanksgiving Turkey Trot!  Friday was my long run and Saturday another short recovery run with G to round out the week.


My updated long run schedule until the race is: 12, 16, 18, 20, 14, 20, 14, 10, 26.2!

Other highlights:

·      I signed up for the Newport Rhode Race!
·      I surpassed my 2015 mileage.  Last year I logged 815 total miles and I currently stand at 816 miles for 2016.

Upcoming events:

·      9 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 11.21.16
Travel day!
3 miles (23:11)
12,249 steps

Tuesday 11.22.16
Taught spin class
8,970 steps

Wednesday 11.23.16
6 treadmill miles (45:10) with 4x800s at 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 9.0 mph
19,648 steps
16 miles means a big piece of pie.

Thursday 11.24.16
Happy Thanksgiving!
2.02 miles with G (18:04)
3 miles (24:27)
15,637 steps

Friday 11.25.16
16 miles with daddo on the bike (2:10:30)
33,837 steps

Saturday 11.26.16
1.98 miles with G (17:41)
10,177 steps

Sunday 11.27.16
Taught spin class
Burdenko H2O
10,799 steps


ICYMI
Week 1 of 16             Week 5 of 16
Week 2 of 16             Week 6 of 16

This week’s mileage: 32 miles
This week’s G mileage: 4 miles
November Totals: 105 miles
2016 Totals: 816 miles

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

I signed up for the Newport Rhode Race!

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Newport Rhode Race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

What: Newport Rhode Race Half Marathon

Where: Newport, RI

When: April 15, 2017

I just added another race to my 2017 calendar!  On Saturday April 15th I will be running a half marathon in beautiful Newport, RI representing the BibRave Pros.  The race features both a marathon and a half marathon.  I opted in to the half marathon for motivation to continue running after the Miami Marathon and for a good test of my fitness about 6 weeks before the Buffalo Half Marathon.

The marathon course is USATF certified and is a Boston Marathon Qualifier—word on the street is that my coworker Eric will be running the full to BQ.

According to the race website, “The half marathon follows the first 13.1 miles of the full marathon route. The half starts 3o mins after the full marathon at the same start and finish as the full marathon. You will enjoy selfie worth seaside views, grand mansions and rocky shorelines. It is truly a stunning course.”


I’m pretty pumped.  My only time in Newport was for Destination Book Club back in 2012 and I have been looking forward to going back someday.  Besides what better way to see Newport then to run 13.1 miles along its coast?  Fingers crossed for warm April temperatures and mild winds along the water.  Newport is only about an hour and a half from Cape Cod and the 8:00am half marathon start time would allow me to drive up race morning if I really wanted to.



If you want to join me at the Newport Rhode Race, register here and use discount code “BibRave” for $10 off your entry!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Weekly Roundup 11.14-11.20

Week 6 of 16

What a week!  I was a little worried about getting in all my runs as we were headed to Durham, NC for my cousin Shawn’s wedding and I knew Tuesday was going to be a wash.  Monday started off with a split shift workday and a lovely afternoon to get in some extra miles with Georgie before my own Fartlek workout.  I finished off with a spin class for a day full of activities!

Wednesday was our staff meeting so I took full advantage of my shorter break with a mile lunch run with Georgie then changed into run clothes under my work clothes so I could be out the door at 4:01 to squeeze in 4 miles before the sunset at 4:20pm.

I had SO MUCH to do on Thursday before leaving for North Carolina and one thing on the list was my 12 mile long run.  I had a hard time getting out the door and I didn’t want to waste time driving anywhere so I just ran around my neighborhood.  It was SO BORING but so much better than my first Miami training attempt at 12 miles during Week 2.

Friday was a travel day with a horrible 2:30am wake up call!   

We landed around 8:30am and got to the hotel as most of the fam was waking up and getting ready for breakfast.  We spend the day at a few breweries, visited the #1 ranked Mexican restaurant in Durham according to Yelp (Gonza Taco y Tequila) then met up with the wedding party for drinks before passing out as soon as my head hit the pillow.  I was exhausted!

Saturday morning my dad and I hit the path around Duke’s East Campus for an easy 4-mile run.  We then took a tour of the main campus with Uncle Bruce as our guide before getting ready and heading back to the Duke Chapel for the ceremony.  It was a beautiful wedding—Jessica looked gorgeous and everything went perfect for them.  The reception was a blast as we danced all night long.  Side note: I had 3 glasses of wine that night!  Say whaaaat?!


Sunday was pretty low key.  We went out for brunch then found the Bills Backers bar in Durham to watch the Bills pull off a win over the Bangals.  Some of the fam had to head to the airport after the game but we got in one final dinner with Uncle Daryl and Aunt Debbie.  Overall a fantastic weekend!

Upcoming events:

·      10 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 11.14.16
2.19 miles with G (21:15)
4.82 miles (35:46) with 3 mile Fartlek <--7:12, 7:11, 6:59
Taught spin class
Power Water
24,855 steps

Tuesday 11.15.16
Taught spin class
8,768 steps

Wednesday 11.16.16
0.98 miles with G (9:02)
4 miles (30:30)
17,687 steps

Thursday 11.17.16
12 miles (1:34:14)
29,177 steps

Friday 11.18.16
Travel day!
11,358 steps

Saturday 11.19.16
4 miles with Daddo but started my watch late! 3.56 miles (34:26)
24,447 steps

Sunday 11.20.16
7,513 steps


ICYMI
Week 1 of 16             Week 5 of 16

This week’s mileage: 28 miles
This week’s G mileage: 3 miles
November Totals: 73 miles
2016 Totals: 784 miles

Monday, November 14, 2016

Weekly Roundup 11.7-11.13

Week 5 of 16

Another week done and another week closer to Miami!

Overall I had a good week of running.  On Monday I had a brief encounter with the turkeys.  On my way out they were lining both sides of the road so I literally ran in the middle of the road—with cars coming both directions.  I didn’t care.  I wasn’t taking any chances.  On the way back, they were all on one side of the road so I sprinted past hoping they didn’t notice me.  What was supposed to be an easy run turned into a sprint as I found myself going fast long after I passed them.  Oops.  You could also say I was rushing home to a hot shower, footed pajamas and the Bills playing on Monday Night Football!  Don’t even get me started with how horrible and frustrating the game ended up being… AND I stayed up til the end!  YOLO.


I skipped Run Club on Tuesday because I honestly needed a day off after running 4 days straight.  Wednesday was fun.  I got to get the legs moving with a 2 mile Fartlek then a short run with the pup on Thursday.

On Friday I had to work.  WOMP WOMP.  I got out at 4 and didn’t really want to rush my run—the sun set at 4:25pm—so I ended up sucking it up and hitting the treadmill for the first time since January.  It was just as bad as I remember it being.

The came Saturday’s long run and it was awesome!  Another perfect weather day.  I ran 8 miles comfortable and 2 miles pushing the pace for a fast finish.  Everything about it went right and it was another confidence booster run as I prepare for 12, 14 and 16 coming up in the next 3 weeks.

Other highlights:

·      I signed up for the Jingle Jog!

Upcoming events:

·      11 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 11.7.16
5.25 miles (39:54)
17,307 steps

Tuesday 11.8.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Lost Control Spin Playlist
8,762 steps

Wednesday 11.9.16
5 miles (37:18) with 2 mile Fartlek <--6:56, 6:46
17,770 steps

Thursday 11.10.16
1.50 miles with G (13:13)
Taught spin class
Power Water
13,619 steps

Friday 11.11.16
4.25 treadmill miles (33:14)
14,525 steps

Saturday 11.12.16
10 miles (1:15:53) with 2 mile fast finish <--7:05, 7:01
27,827 steps

Sunday 11.13.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Jumpin’, Jumpin’ Spin Playlist
Burdenko H2O
13,444 steps


ICYMI

This week’s mileage: 26 miles
This week’s G mileage: 1.5 miles
November Totals: 45 miles
2016 Totals: 756 miles

Sunday, November 13, 2016

I signed up for the Jingle Jog!

2015 with Run Club friends!
What: 5th Annual Jingle Jog 5k

Where: Falmouth, MA

When: December 3, 2016

I love running and I love Christmas.  That’s why I’m running the Jingle Jog for the second year in a row.  Last year I even squeezed out a PR a day after I ran 18 miles for Houston Marathon training.  (This year I will be running 16 the day before…)

The first 200 registered receive heavy cotton long sleeve shirts and everyone gets jingle bells so grab your Christmas compression socks and join my dad and me for a scenic 5k in Falmouth! 


PS – 42 days until Christmas!!

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Weekly Roundup 10.31-11.6

Week 4 of 16

I can’t believe I am already 1/4 of the way through training!  One of the best forms of motivation is watching a major marathon on TV and just this weekend was the NYC Marathon.  I loved watching the race unfold as Molly Huddle grinded out a 3rd place in her marathon debut when Abdi surprised everyone with a 3rd place finish on the men’s side.  You can never count him out!

As for my running… I started the week pretty tired and a little sore after running and working Cape Cod Marathon weekend.  I had a pretty good progression run on Wednesday—even though I started out a little faster then I wanted to.

I had to take Georgie to the vet on Friday so I took her out for a short run to drain some energy.   About a mile into our 2 mile run, she stopped to face plant into a pile of leaves, flipped over onto her back and started rolling around.  Well she emerged from the pile of leaves covered in poop!  I was not happy.  When we got home I threw her in the tub, which is always a traumatic experience for both of us.  Thanks G.  I hope you had fun with your poop-capades.  And thanks to the asshole that didn’t clean up after their dog.

I met one of my running clients for coffee on Saturday morning and ended up running my long run in the afternoon.  I stayed in Mashpee and had one of those runs that everything just went right.  My goal was to run comfortable—even if it was slower than normal—but I ended up finishing at a pretty good pace so I was really happy.  I was also really happy to get it over with because I almost pushed it off one more day but it ended up raining most of Sunday!

Upcoming events:

·      12 weeks until the Miami Marathon!

Monday 10.31.16
Happy Halloween!
0.98 miles with G (8:52)
11,629 steps

Tuesday 11.1.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Boom Boom Pow Spin Playlist
9,694 steps

Wednesday 11.2.16
5 mile progression (36:55) <--7:33, 7:32, 7:21, 7:17, 7:08
50 squats
10 lunges, 10 back lunges, 10 side lunges
18,565 steps

Thursday 11.3.16
Taught spin class. The playlist: Harder to Breathe Spin Playlist
Power Water
12,430 steps

Friday 11.4.16
1.93 miles with G (18:59)
9,899 steps

Saturday 11.5.16
8 miles (1:00:37)
22,987 steps

Sunday 11.6.16
1 mile with G (8:12)
3 miles (22:50)
10,831 steps


ICYMI

This week’s mileage: 20 miles
This week’s G mileage: 4 miles
October Totals: 103 miles
November Totals: 19 miles
2016 Totals: 730 miles

Saturday, November 5, 2016

BibRave Pro Product Review: Legend Compression Performance Socks

Disclaimer: I was recently sent a pair of Legend Compression Performance Socks to review as part of being a BibRave Pro.  Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

“Demand that your sports compression socks be LEGENDARY”

Have you ever heard of the compression company Legend?  Me neither until the BibRave Pro ambassador program introduced them to me last month!  

I’ve always been a big wearer of compression gear, especially socks and sleeves so I was totally on board to test out the Performance Compression Socks.

Legend Compression is a relatively new company with a 30+ year medical background.  They launched in August of 2015 with the mission “to help individuals extend the life of their legs through graduated compression technology.”

Some of the Performance Compression Sock features:

·      Granulated Compression for Improved Athletic Performance
·      Enhanced Endurance
·      Greater Power Output
·      Decreased Recovery Time
·      Achilles & Arch Support
·      Calf Muscle Containment
·      Cushioned Sole, Toe & Heel
·      Comfortable & Breathable
·      Seamless Toe Construction
·      Prevent Blisters
·      For Men & Women

#RIGHTNOTTIGHT

What makes Legend Compression unique is their theory behind their motto, “Compression done right not tight!”  The performance sock use 15-20 mmHG level of compression whereas the recovery sock features 20-30 mmHG.  In their words…

“Based on our experience in medical compression and understanding of that athletes need, we believe that this moderate or therapeutic level of compression is more effective during exercise. We use the hashtag #rightnottight to combat the common misunderstanding that you need to feel the squeeze in order for compression to be working. Our product is easier to get on and easier to get off, but provides just the right amount of support to help you perform and train at your best.”

The website says that their socks run true to size and there is a size chart based on your shoe size and your calf circumference.  My problem came when choosing sizes.  The socks come S-XL and the small is meant for a women’s shoe size 5.5-7.5—which is my range but for calf circumferences 13-15”—and I measure less than 13 inches.  While the whole “Right Not Tight” concept intrigues me, I’m not totally convinced I’m receiving the “RIGHT” amount of compression.

The material is super stretchy and slide on and off with ease.  I love the wiggle room in the toes and the added “arch clencher” in the arch of the foot to help stabilize the sock.

When do I wear compression socks?

From workouts to recovery days to even a half marathon race, I have been rocking my Legend Compression Performance Socks as much as I can on my runs and we’ve been seeing the perfect weather on Cape Cod to do so this fall.  They are great for those in between days when you want to wear shorts but you’re just not sure you will be warm enough.


 
Timing for this product was perfect as I am currently in Week 4 of Miami Marathon training.  As I increase mileage and intensity, I need to feel confident in my gear and I look for anything to speed up recovery while keeping my legs happy!  In fact, during the Cape Cod Half my inner thigh was cramping but my calves did not—as a forefoot runner, they are usually first to go.

 
Other bonuses:

·      They are moisture wicking and provide UV protection.
·      Legend Compression Performance Socks are manufactured in North Carolina and all products are made in the USA.
·      The socks come in 7 fun colors!  Not a huge fan of socks?  They also make Compression Leg Sleeves.

Cons:

·      I am SO BAD with products that require special attention in the laundry department.  Like most compression socks, these are recommended to be hand washed or gentle cycle with mild detergent.  As for the dryer?  Tumble dry with no heat and no fabric softener or lay flat to dry.  Every time mine made it into the dryer.  No issues but I’m pretty sure this means they aren’t guaranteed to last as long.
·      I wish I had more pairs.  I wore them for the Cape Cod Half on Saturday morning but I was too lazy to wash them to wear them to work on Sunday for my recovery day.  I also could have used them that Friday when I stood around at the expo for 4 hours the night before the race.
·      During the Cape Cod Half, I experienced a little bunching up of the sock on my right foot.  The socks weren’t falling down at all just felt like I had some extra material gathering around my arch.  Weird feeling to try to describe but I haven’t noticed it on any run since.
·      I’d love to see an XS!
·      The Performance Compression Socks price at $49.99 which is mid-level to high end in the compression sock world but use code bibsave15 for 15% off your order!

 
Join us on Twitter for the Legend sponsored #BibChat on November 8th at 9pm EST!

And don’t forget to use code bibsave15 for 15% off your order!

Happy running!