Recovery Monday, 4/2/2018

Even though I kept having to make up runs and I always seemed behind, I ended March with good mileage. I ran 266 miles, and I did all of my SOS runs.

Yesterday, I had to wake up very early to get my long run in. I ran 18 miles. My legs felt incredibly heavy. I ran very slow, and there was little fun to be had. I don't know what the problem was. Later that day, we all went hiking and I felt fine.

Hiking

I almost missed this guy in the tree. I think that it is a California Whipsnake (striped racer). I know little about identifying snakes, so I could be wrong. The only snake that I can identify is a rattle snake. I'm not particularly afraid of snakes, but I don't like them a whole lot either.

Today was a recovery run. I ran 11 miles very slowly. this should be my peak week in mileage. We'll see how it goes.

Cold Recovery Run, 3/19/2018

I have a recovery run on the schedule today, but it was too cold this morning for my liking. I’ll let you know how many miles I’m able to squeeze in this evening. It is supposed to rain for the next three days, so this should be interesting.

#Neverdo Challenge
There are a lot of things that I don't want to do. I’m afraid of so many things that it borders on ridiculous. If I paid attention to myself even half the time, when comes to fear, I’d barely leave the house. I want to be someone who is bold and adventurous, so I pretend to be. Most of the time, it works out. Very rarely do I chicken out of an activity once the situation is at hand.

In keeping with my policy of ignoring most of my reservations, when we visited Hawaii, I planned a family snorkeling trip. I’m scared of the ocean, and I’m a terrible swimmer. However, I know all those people on those charter boats are not expert swimmers. There is no way that I could drown with a guide, my husband and two kids (all excellent swimmers) with me.

That trip turned out to be fantastic.  Snorkeling is amazing. I have and would do it again. The first time, in Hawaii, we didn’t see an abundance of fish, but we saw lots of turtles. We kayaked out to the spot, which I enjoyed, but other family members got sea-sick. I guess the water was pretty choppy. Snorkeling in Hawaii was a great experience for me from start to finish. The next time, I went snorkeling, I had a little panic episode, but I felt great that first time.

Recovery Sunday, 3/4/2018

Recovery Run Recommendation Monday 2/12/2018

I have 11 recovery miles on the schedule. I, normally, wouldn't run that far on a recovery day, but it's a holiday; so it is an opportunity to get some extra miles. I would, also, normally post after I ran, but since today is the day the giveaway winner is announced, I wanted to post early. If something unexpected happens and I don't run, I'll let you know tomorrow.

Skirt Sports Giveaway
A winner has been chosen. Congratulations Karen F! A free skirt sports running skirt will soon be on its way.

Recommendation - Skirt Tv:

When I’m doing marathon training, I’m constantly looking for inspiration in books and videos. Days can be long and the training can be tough. Sometimes you need a pick me up.  Skirt Tv produces short inspirational videos under a category called “Fueled by Positivity.”  I watched one recently that I enjoyed and highly recommend.  It was called Find your WHY.  In it, Nicole DeBoom interviews Erin Carson.  Erin Carson is a fitness professional with a long resume including strength trainer to the stars. Nicole & Erin discuss how discovering the true motivations behind your goals can improve your results.  I connected with the episode because the issue of motivation is becoming more and more important to me. I want to be running 10-15 years from now.  To do that, I will need to identify and embrace motivations that transcend PRs or AG awards.

Skirt Tv would like to know the kind of programming you would like to see.  If videos like Find your Why interest you (or don’t interest you), let them know by completing their What do You Want To See on Skirt Tv Survey.

While you are looking around,
please consider a donation of any amount to Ventura Land Trust.  After the Thomas Fire and subsequent rains, our trails are in desperate need of maintenance and rehabilitation.  VLT is at the forefront of that work.  I’ll be raising money for VLT during my marathon training for Mountains 2 the Beach marathon.

I have several signed copies of Running the Edge:  Discovering the Secrets to Better Running and a Better Life. I’ll gladly send one to the next few people who donate to VLT.