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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Scenic Saturday, 3/31/2018

It was beautiful, today, on the trails. I ran 6 miles and hiked a little. I've got a big run tomorrow, but no worries today. Usually, I have the trails to myself, but it was downright crowded out there. That would normally annoy me, but not today. The day was too perfect.




Friday, March 30, 2018

Adductor Stretch

I found a great new adductor stretch.  Below is a description.



Marathon Pace Friday 3/30/201

This morning, I did my marathon pace run. I got up late, but I decided to get out the house quicker rather than waiting to run in the afternoon. It is so much more difficult for me to hit my paces in the afternoon. It is usually windy, and I, often, don’t eat enough at lunch.

This was the first MP run where I felt good. Actually, that isn’t true.  I felt terrible, but I knew that I had a good pace and that I could do it. My MP route is very difficult, but it does mirror the actual race course. The marathon route starts with an increase in elevation for several miles. Then, there is a downhill portion, followed by a hill at the end. I had an excellent pace until the last mile. The last mile just killed my pace. My goal pace is 7:53, but my last mile was 8:15. I still had an overall pace of 7:51.

I have been a real slacker with my ab work lately, but sometimes I can get my kids to do them with me.


Thursday, March 29, 2018

Long Run Thursday, 3/29/2018

trail run
I have trails close to my house, but I normally don't run on trails during the week. I find the downhills to be too hard on my knees. However, it just rained. It is amazing out right now, and it won't last long. To make up some miles, I had to run pretty long yesterday; so I couldn't resist a few miles on the trails.

beet juice
I have been feeling super tired lately, so before I left I juiced a beet.  Beets are supposed to give you energy. I started out on the trails, and promptly got lost, but I had no worries. I could see landmarks the entire time.  I wasn't really lost. It was as beautiful as I anticipated. That was a wonderful run.

I stopped home to change shoes and shirt, have a scoop of Ucan and pick up my handheld (filled with tailwind). I set off for an easy ten. It was fine, but as I've said before, anything over ten miles in training turns into work. I was ready to be done by the time I got home. I logged 14.5 miles on Wednesday.

Usually, I would run my MP on Thursday, but since I ran so long yesterday, I wanted to give my body some recovery time.  I'll do the MP tomorrow. Today, I ran 6 before work at an recovery pace.

Skirt Sports Challenge: Funniest Race Pic
The challenge is to post a race pic that you love to hate. I had a great time on the day the photo below was taken and not because I like color runs. I loved running with my son. It was just he and I, and I enjoyed every minute of hanging out with him. This pic represents a fun day, so I can't really hate it, but it is so stinking unflattering.  Ugh...
Color Run

Fueled by Positivity Bi-Monthly Recommendation, 3/29/2018

Fueled by Positivity Bi-Monthly Recommendation:

When I’m doing marathon training, I’m constantly looking for motivation in books and videos. Skirt Tv produces short inspirational videos, in a talk show format, under a category called “Fueled by Positivity.”  This week, I am recommending the Fueled By Positivity January 15th episode featuring Nicole DeBoom interviewing Kara Burns.  Kara Burns was released from federal prison in 2014. Within months she applied for Skirt Sports Running Start non-profit - a program that pairs beginner runners with Personal Motivators to prep them for their 1st 5k. 12 weeks later Kara skipped the 5k & ran the 13er. Kara Burns completely changed her life and motivates others to do the same. Her story is a testament to the power of running, and, certainly, inspirational.

Skirt Tv would like to know the kind of programming you would like to see.  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.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Hill Repeats Wednesday, 3/28/2018

Elevation Profile
Yesterday, before work, I did 7+ miles of hill repeats. The workout is simple. Run up a half mile, then jog down a half mile. I took a scoop of Ucan about 1/2 hour before I left the house, but I couldn't find the container that I use to mix my tailwind. I could have taken straight water, but I was running out of time and tired of thinking about it, so I left with nothing.

My repeats were not as fast as they were last year. The first one was really slow (7:41). I think that I am going to attribute it to the cold. I wasn't as warmed up as I usually am, and it was really cold. The others were acceptable: 7:26, 7:29, 7:28, 7:36. During the last two repeats, the sun rose, and I was blinded running up the hill. I had 7 on the schedule, but after the 6th, I really needed to head home, because I was running out of time. I decided to use a hill on my route home to serve as my last repeat. The last repeat was steeper, slower and shorter (7:45).


I fully intended to run a double, but I was super tired. When I got home from work, I said to myself that I would lay down for a few minutes, and I fell asleep.  I slept all night as well. I've been very tired lately. It may be nutrition.

I will run easy this afternoon.  I'll report tomorrow on the miles.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Active dot com Review, Monday 3/26/2018

Active.com Review

Santa Barbara International Half Marathon
Fewer and fewer races that I run use active.com for race registration.  I have been satisfied with my active.com membership in the past, but when my membership expired in 12/2016, I did not to re-up my membership.  I don’t remember why, but, I assume to take advantage of some promotion, I went ahead and signed-up, again, in March of 2017.  The membership was $70.  Here are the discounts/giveaways that I received:
  • $85 off of shoes
  • I won a free race registration to a half marathon (at least $85)
  • I won a free pair of earbuds ($15)
  • I got reimbursed for a fishing license that I purchased ($25)
  • Free compression socks
  • No processing fee (about $13)
  • Fifth race was free ($65)
  • I think that I got reimbursed something for pics, but I can't remember exactly
Active has easily been the best $70 that I spent in 2017.

I do have one complaint that is eating at me.  I, occasionally, by things from ActiveGearUp (Left Lane Sports).  Over the last 5-6 years, I've probably purchase, 1-2 things from ActiveGear-Up per year.  Either the return policy has changed, or I had never looked at it. I ordered something a few months ago and changed my mind about the purchase before it even arrived.  I asked for a refund for an unopened package, and I was told that there were no refunds.  I had to pay shipping both ways, and they would only give store credit.  That is ridiculous.  Gear-up said, basically, that I should be happy getting a 70% discount.  Really, the items they sell are a little cheaper than I could get somewhere else, but they only sell things that everyone has on sale, like discontinued items.  Maybe it is 70% off MSRP, but by the time it is being sold on ActiveGear-up, everyone has the item on sale.  If you include shipping, you are never really saving that much, if anything, and I’d much rather have the peace of mind knowing that I can return an unopened package.  This policy must work or they wouldn’t do it, but why would I buy something with no returns unless the savings was amazing?  I send all ActiveGear-Up ads to junk, now.

Final Thoughts
The $85 discount on shoes is a real discount. You can get just about any shoes that you want. The price of the shoes aren't artificially increased before the discount. As long as the shoe discount stays in place, I will continue with active, because the membership pays for itself (in my case) with that one purchase. I’m going to buy several pairs of Hoka Cliftons every year, so why not $15 off, and, then, be eligible for all the other active discounts.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Sunday Long Run, 3/25/2018

It is Palm Sunday, so there is no way that I could skip church, today. I had 17 on the schedule and to get that in before church required an early wake-up. I ate a grill cheese sandwich, had some coffee and got out the house pretty quickly.

It was cold and on the first leg of the run. Somehow, I managed to get myself stuck behind orange do not enter tape. I won't say any more about that. I stopped at home to use the restroom, change to a short sleeve short, pick up my handheld and have a scoop of Ucan. I was home a lot longer than I would have liked,but I was moving as fast as possible. I wore a short sleeve, shorts and gloves for the rest of the run.  I assumed that I would take the gloves off eventually, but I didn't take the gloves off until I was about 1/2 mile from home.

There weren't a lot of people out, but weird things happened. At about 8:30 in the morning, as I'm running, I smell the strong and undeniable odor of marijuana. People are in front of their house, hanging out, smoking weed. Did they even eat breakfast? I was running through a nice neighborhood, so I guesspublic smoking is going mainstream.

I little while later, I car turned onto the dirt path that I was running on. The car had no business being there, and it was headed straight for me. I wasn't scared, but I started all of my contingency planning for escape. The car stopped about 100 meters from me and the driver pulled out a massive camera and took a picture of me. It was really strange.

Finally, a record number of people were walking their dog off leash. The only situation that was scary was when I encountered a guy with his two German Shepherds off leash. The dogs were fine, but there is no way to really know until it is almost too late.

I ran the first 4.5 miles really slow. Just eyeballing the paces, I probably averaged something like an 11 minute mile.  Again, just eyeballing, I'd guess that miles 4.5-13 were about 9:45.  Miles 13-17 were at an 8:40 pace. I averaged those 4 miles with a calculator. The last 1.3 were basically a cool down (about 10:50). I guess it would be fair to call it a progressive run.

The view was so nice in one particular spot, that I went back later in the day to take a pic. Most of my run is in suburban neighborhoods, so the view was a nice treat.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Dr. John C Trettin Memorial 5K, Saturday, 3/24/2018

I had to rearrange my MP and speed runs to accommodate the rain. I'm glad I did my MP before it rained, because my MP route is still flooded. I should have done speed on Thursday, but it was raining, so I ran easy. I decided to skip the speed on Friday, and run a 5K today.

This 5K is one that I've run many times. There have been years that I have gotten first female, but I know that those days are gone. It is a tough course, and there is no way that I can hang with the young gals. It is a fun race, but it is single track with few opportunities to pass. There are lots of uphills and sand. You have to be very aggressive at the start, or you will get stuck behind slower runners and never make up the difference. I wasn't nearly aggressive enough to really compete. I never saw the two lead gals during the race.

I was actually in a good position. I ended up being behind some slower runners, but it allowed me to conserve my energy and pass a few women when I was able to make a move. No amount of race strategy or even luck would have changed the outcome. The two lead females were much faster than I am capable of running. I ended up 3rd female, 1st AG (40-49). I stayed for the awards which are always exciting, because they give away lots of raffle prizes.

5K race review
Dr. John C Trettin Memorial 5K


Relive 'Morning Mar 24th'

I thought that I would go back out and run a few trail miles, but the wind picked up, and I lost the desire. I ran exactly 1.1 miles on the TM to insure a 50 mile week and called it quits. I pretty happy that, despite two unscheduled rest days, I still was able to complete the mileage.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Rain, Rain Go Away Friday, 3/23/2018

Yesterday was quite a day of running. I had taken two unscheduled days off, and, if there was going to be any hope of salvaging the mileage for the week, I had to run. I was prepared for rain and wind, but I thought that the rain would be consistent, but light. That is the exact opposite of what the weather was actually like. For the first 5-6 miles, it drizzled on and off. I alternated between roasting and cold. Around the halfway point, the rain started coming down pretty hard. It was fine, because at least I wasn’t hot. For the last three miles, the rain got harder and harder. My husband came to rescue me with the car, but I was only ½ a mile or so from home when he found me. In that ½ mile, the sky opened up and dumped water in sheets. It was really just silly.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

My Family and Other Animals Book Review

My Family and Other Animals (Corfu Trilogy, #1)My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook as I ran, and I often laughed out loud (true lol). People must have thought that I was crazy. It was actually embarrassing at times. Between the eccentric family and the anthropomorphizing of it all, I had a good time.

Surely, Durell romanticized his childhood, but maybe all he remembers is the good stuff. This isn't a true 5 star book, but I think I enjoyed it more than 4 stars. My Family and Other Animals is a fun, light read. Do yourself a favor and give it go.

View all my reviews

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Marathon Pace Tuesday, 3/20/2018

Yesterday, I had easy miles on the schedule, but I did not run at all. It is supposed to rain for the next three days, so I decided to do my MP run this morning to make sure that I got it in this week. I can run easy miles in the rain, but I wouldn’t try running MP in the rain.

I was thrilled when I looked at my watch and saw that I had made my pace. I ran 8 miles at 7:53 which is right on target. The run was difficult. There is a middle uphill portion that kills my pace and the last 1.5 miles was very difficult as well. You'd think that there are more significant hills than the one at the 5 mile mark, but the hill at mile 5 gets me every time.
Elevation Profile
Laps

Monday, March 19, 2018

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.





Sunday, March 18, 2018

Long Run Sunday, 3/18/2018

I was supposed to race today, but I just couldn't muster the desire. The alarm rang at 4:30, and I turned over. Three hours of driving and freezing temps did not inspire me to get out the bed. Since I didn't run my half, I figured I'd better pick up the pace of my long run.  I warmed up on the TM and, and I ran 13 at an 8:40 pace (14 total miles). I kept waiting for it to warm up to leave, so I ate too early. I had a scoop of Ucan, but I probably had that too early, also. I packed 8 oz of tailwind, but it just wasn't enough calories.  The run was very hard. The first 4-5 miles were great, but around the middle I started feeling like crap, even nauseous at the end. It is legitimately a difficult route, and I didn't have enough to eat or drink, but, also, I'm getting tired. I'm on week 9 of Hansons. That is exactly the halfway mark and this is where you just have to dig deep to get it done.


#24Skirt: Lota Breeze Capris


#Lottabreeze
One of the nice things about the Lotta Breeze skirt is that I can workout in it, but also feel comfortable doing an errand or other activities while wearing it. I have no problem wearing tights or compression shorts when I’m running, but if I’m hiking with my kids or going to the grocery, etc., I like a little more coverage. The Lotta Breeze is definitely a versatile skirt. In the top pic, I'm stretching and doing core work. In the bottom, I'm going on a walk with my kids.




Saturday, March 17, 2018

Trail Run Scenic Saturday, 3/17/2018

I ran 6.5 on the trails and did another .25 on the TM to reach 60 miles for the week. Trail running was magnificent on this Saint Paddy's Day. It was so green out there that you might have thought that I was in Ireland.

My husband didn't want to miss the fun, so after I ran, we went back out for a hike.


Relive 'Morning Mar 17th'




Friday, March 16, 2018

Easy Rainbow Friday, 3/16/2018

Rainbow

I did not run the double yesterday which left me with double the miles to do today. I knew it was going to rain in the afternoon, but I didn't get up when the alarm rang. I really should have because I didn't realize how busy I was going to be. It was quite a challenge fitting in an 11 mile run, but I managed. The rain was fun, but I got it all wrong. I didn't go out with a jacket at first and it poured, so I stopped home for a jacket for the second half of the run. For must of the second half, it didn't rain and the jacket was stiflingly hot. Luckily, it started to rain pretty good for the last couple of miles which cooled me off.  All in all, it was pretty fun. Bonus: after the run, I saw a rainbow.

Challenge:  Jump, Jump, Jump
There is a Skirt Sports challenge to post a jump photo. I told myself that that was one challenge that I wasn't going to do, but I kept seeing great pics; so I decided to give it a try. My kids took turns trying to coach me through the shots. I couldn't stop laughing, because my attempts were so spastic. Now that I have tried and was only moderately successful, the challenge is really on! I can take a crack at it, once a month. I figure that it's like anything else. Practice makes perfect. I'm going to get a great photo one of these days. Until then, I'll have a good time trying. It was fun messing around with the kids.



Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Marathon Pace Thursday, 3/15/2018

Training:  This morning I ran 7.6 miles at the perfect marathon pace of 7:53.  I remembered to take a couple of puffs of my inhaler, and I had a scoop of Ucan before the run. It was difficult, as always, but it was a successful MP run.

I'm planning on a double after work. I only have four miles on the schedule, but I might make it 9 and cut tomorrow's run short. I'll let you know tomorrow, what I actually did.

News:  Skirt Sports Sale

Skirt Sports Sale
Skirtsports is having a Sale on the Sale! I’m still kicking myself for missing the last sale. This is a good one. Use LUKYYOU20 for an extra 20% off of sale items, no additional coupons or discounts can be used on the same order. The sale runs through 3/18/2018.

Rest Day Wednesday, 3/14/2018

It is a rest day for me today. I'm going to make a serious effort to run in the morning, because I have a double on the schedule.

It has been raining a for a few days in these parts, but the sun came out for a little bit, and the boys agreed to a quick walk. I had to use quite a bit of Mommy persuasion, but they, finally, agreed. I take what I can get.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Speed Tuesday, 3/13/2018

Yesterday was a recovery run. I ran 6.2 miles at a super slow pace. I was worn out from Saturday's 13 miler and Sunday's 17 miler.

Speed Intervals
Today was a speed day. Since I knew that I would be running in the rain, I planned to skip the speed intervals and just run easy. When I got out there, though, it wasn't raining, at first, and the wind wasn't too bad. I decided to see if I could get the speed intervals in before it started to rain. I ran four 1200s with 400 recovery jogs. My paces were good, but, after the intervals, I was ready to be done. I had a long way to go.  It was seven more miles in the rain before I got home. As usual, more calories at lunch would have been helpful. I ate a sandwich and an orange before the run. I know that helped. I didn't wear a jacket, but I wasn't too cold. I've run 69.5 miles over the last 7 days. I'm tired. It's a wrap. Rest day here I come!

.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Lotta Breeze Capri Skirt Neverwear

Although I love to running skirts and I am a skirt sports ambassador, there are some skirts that Skirt Sports sell that I was pretty sure that I would never wear. One of those skirts was the Lotta Breeze Capri Skirt. It is a skirt with attached Capris. I like Capris, and I like running skirts, but I didn't think that the combination would be particularly flattering on me. I'm short, and I figured that the skirt and the capris would chop me one too many times. Though I didn't have high hopes for the design, I was presented with a deal that was too good to pass up, so I bought a pair.

As it turns out, I think the skirt looks great, and I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. Whats nice about it is that is is very versatile.  I can work out in it, but I can also go to the store or do errands and still have a little coverage on my bumm. I'll write a full review later, but for sure this never-wear is going to be a favorite.

If you are interested in the Lotta Breeze Capri Skirt, don't forget to use my 15% discount 825Sign on any full priced item offered on Skirt Sports' website.

Lotta Breeze Capris Neverwear Part 2



If you are interested in the Lotta Breeze Capri Skirt, don't forget to use my 15% discount 825Sign on any full priced item offered on Skirt Sports' website.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Why I Run, 3/11/2018

Long Run Sunday

I set my alarm to get up and run before church, but it was another early morning failure.  It didn't matter, because everyone woke up late. Once I got up, I had breakfast, but I didn't actually get out of the house. I did not start running until after 10AM, so I was really hungry on the run. The route I chose had lots of hills. I thought that I would pick up the pace a little, but that didn't happen. It was truly a long, slow run (17 miles @ 9:25). It was pretty enjoyable for maybe the first ten miles. Then, it turned into work. The last 3 miles were difficult.

Elevation Profile


Why I Run

I have been thinking a great deal lately about why I run, and what will it take to keep me running in ten years. Competition is what has driven me up to this point, but I know that it won’t be enough to motivate me running for a lifetime. I ran my first 5K at the age of 39. My story is not unlike many women. After I had kids, I stopped working out, but when my kids got a little older, I started to take better care of myself. Working out gradually led to jogging, which eventually led to me running my first 5K. I was hooked with that first race.  I had never done anything competitive before. I didn’t know a single girl, before I entered high school, that participated in any organized sport. Approaching middle age, I knew that I loved the outdoors and that there were periods in my life when I loved to workout, but I had never actually experienced the thrill of competition.

I found out that the thrill of competition wasn’t figurative. It is an actual thrill.  I started taking training more seriously, and I did well. I ran 5ks thru half marathons for a few years. Below is a picture of my first half marathon. I'm pretty sure that I am wearing a skirt sports running skirt. I just gave that skirt away a few months ago, because it was too big.

Half Marathon, Santa Barbara 2010

I told myself that I would run a marathon if I ever ran 1500 miles in a year. I got close, but in 2015, I ran 1500 miles, so I felt like I was ready to take on a marathon. That first marathon was the best race of my life. I had put so much into the training, and I had no expectations of myself. It was the first time that I ever felt that I had already achieved my goal before I even started. I was happy and chatty for almost the entire race. It got miserable around mile 20, but I think that is the nature of a marathon. I truly loved that experience. I love to compete, but I loved running for the joy of the experience.
For me it is difficult to put down the burden of expectation. I get closest during some trail races.  There is often a time during a trail race when you know that you aren’t lost, and you are running completely alone. I love those moments. The expectations melt away, and I am just happy.   Frankly, most of the time, I’m running for time, competing against myself or someone else and seeking AG awards. I enjoy competition, but that just isn’t going to cut it in long run. It is going to be the joy that keeps me doing this over the long term. I’m not really there yet, but I’ve had a taste of what it can be like and that is my goal.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Saturday Easy Fueled by Positivity, 3/10/2018

I go up early to beat the rain and ran a little over 13 at a slow as molasses pace. I had a bagel, banana and coffee for breakfast, and I felt fine throughout.  That ended another 60 mile week, and I got all of my SOS workouts in this week.



Fueled by Positivity Bi-Monthly Recommendation:

When I’m doing marathon training, I’m constantly looking for inspiration in books and videos. Skirt Tv produces short inspirational videos, in a talk show format, under a category called “Fueled by Positivity.”  This week, I am recommending the Fueled By Positivity – Not Your Grandma’s Instant Coffee.  This episode isn't so much inspirational as it is practical. In it, Nicole DeBoom interviews Alex Hanifin. She is the co-founder of Alpine Start which is a company that makes instant coffee.  I only drink instant coffee on two occasions.  One is when I'm backpacking, and the other is when I'm staying in a hotel room for a race that doesn't have a coffee maker. Though I don't drink a lot of instant coffee, I sure would love to find a yummy tasting one. That was my initial reason for watching the video, to find out more about the coffee. I, definitely, want to give it a try. I just got my rebate check from REI, so I'll get some when I order something and let you know how I like it.

Skirt Tv would like to know the kind of programming you would like to see.  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.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Marathon Pace Friday, 3/9/18

This morning I had trouble getting up. Are you detecting a pattern? I had wanted to run 10 miles in total, but since I was late getting started, I only ran 7 but all at marathon pace.  My pace was good, 7:53, but it was so difficult! I actually had planned to run 7.5, but I just couldn't do it. My stomach was growling when I opened my eyes. I was hungry before I even started, and a scoop of Ucan did nothing to curb my appetite. I didn't eat nearly enough food yesterday to sustain an eleven mile run. I didn't have breakfast, yesterday, and I probably had 400 calories for lunch. I ate a big dinner, but that was after the run. I've got to plan better, because lack of food is a real problem. This morning, I was  on empty and still tired. I knew that it would be difficult, but I had no choice but to make it happen. I have no idea why, but my asthma went crazy after this morning's run. I had to take a couple of hits of the inhaler.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Easy Thursday, 3/8/2018

Yesterday was a rest day.  After work, I went to my sons’ track meet. I spent at least four hours shivering. No matter how many layers I wear, I never seem to figure out how to stay warm. I was tired when I got home. I told myself that I was going to get up and run in the morning, but deep down I knew I wouldn’t. Since, I didn’t get up this morning, I decided to save my marathon pace run until tomorrow.  After work, today, I warmed up with some rope jumping, and ran 11 miles at an easy pace.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Tuesday Hill Workout, 3/6/2018

I’ve been having some trouble the last couple of days, but I’ve got most of my mileage.  Yesterday, I accidentally set my alarm an hour late. I didn’t have time to do my entire run before work, so I split it in half and did a double for a total of 8.6.

Today, my alarm rang, but I didn’t get up.  I intended to do a double today, but, instead, I combined it all into one workout, doing a hill workout first and then a couple of easy miles after. I had to make dinner when I got home. I told myself that I would get a few more miles after dinner, but deep down, I knew that there was no way I was getting out the house again. Of course, I didn’t, but my miles are fine. I ran just a hair under 9, today.

The hill workout is tough.  If things go as planned, I will work my way up to ten repetitions.  Today, my goal was six.  The concept is simple. Run as fast as you can up, and, then, jog down—Repeat. I was pretty disappointed with my performance, but when I got home I looked at the data and found that, last year, my first hill workout was just about the same. I have to keep telling myself that the point of training is to improve.  I’m going to improve. The hill is .47 miles long.  The numbers are paces, not total minutes.



Skirt Sports Challenge

Skirt Sports has a challenge every month to write a Skirt Sports poem. I, generally, enjoy doing Skirt Sports challenges.  That is why I do them, but poetry is far out of my comfort zone. I’m positive that a second grader could write a better poem, but here is my acrostic poem about my favorite Skirt Sports Skirt.

Jette makes me feel…
     J ubilent,
     E nergized,
     T otally
     T itilated, & ready for an
     E scapade.

Use my coupon code: 825Sign for a 15% discount on a full priced item.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Skirt Sports Zip ‘Em Up C/D Bra Review

My sister, Lisa, was in the market for a sports bra, so she decided to try one of the Skirt Sports bras.  I asked her to write a review. She agreed, and here are her thoughts.

Skirt Sports Zip ‘Em Up C/D Bra Review

I am always on the lookout for great sports bras for C/D cups that do not have to be put on over the head so when I found out that Sport Skirt offered zip up sports bras, I got excited and when I saw the price I knew I had to try one.  Let’s start with the price.  The bras are by no means cheap but they are comparable to other sports bras that I normally purchase and in the range of $44 to $50.  The one I purchased was $48 with a $5 discount and $7.50 added for shipping.  I love free shipping but my bra was delivered in 2 days, which was quicker than expected.  I didn’t even have time to check the tracking and there it was.

Overall, I would give this bra an A+.  I like the way it looked under my top.  It had the perfect amount of compression to keep bouncing to a minimum.  I must admit, it was not the easiest to get zipped up but I really don’t think there is a cure for that.  Once it was zipped, it provided pretty good coverage.  For my first use of this bra, I taught 3 Zumba classes and had no issues at all.  I liked the way it felt and preformed.  One of the best features of this bra is the adjustable straps which have hooks that will not slide during a hard workout.  Several other bras that I own will not stay adjusted through an entire workout.  You should never have that problem with this bra.  I would buy this bra again and try others from this company.  I do really wish they had a bigger variety colors though.



See Part 2 (previous post) for video of the Zip 'Em Up c/d Bra.

Use my discount code, 825Sign, at Skirt Sports for a 15% discount off of a full priced item.

Bloggers
Feel free to add a link of one of your Skirt Sports Reviews by clicking An InLinkz Link-up.  If you link your blog, please mention your host on your own blog, and share the love by visiting some of the other linked blogs. Thanks MCM Mama Runs for the links. I first saw InLinkz on her blog.

Skirt Sports Zip ‘Em Up C/D Bra Review Part 2

There are three things that are important to me about a bra. The first is functionality of the bra. I need bras that minimize bounce during running.  The second is that I need a bra that provides visual coverage for the outlines of a woman's breasts.  Third, I want a bra that provides nice shape under clothing.  My sister, Lisa, provided pics of the bra, but I specifically asked her to take a video with a shirt over the bra, so that we could get a look at the bra the way most people wear it (with a shirt on top).



Use my discount code, 825Sign, at Skirt Sports for a 15% discount off of a full priced item.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Long Run Saturday, 3/3/2018

Breakfast yams
I have a long run on the schedule for Sunday, but my kids and my husband are out of town all day today, so I figured that I would do the long run, today, instead of tomorrow. It was raining when I got up, so I had to wait a little bit to let it clear.  I had an egg, toast and coffee, as well as a bowl of sugar covered yams for breakfast.

Equipment
I had a short(ish) long run was on the schedule, but since I had a big chunk of the day to myself, I decided that I would do a long(er) long run.  I took a loop around the neighborhood and made a bathroom stop at home and picked up my handheld. It had started to drizzle a little, so I left my sunglasses. The weather was gloomy, at first, but it never started to rain.  The temperature was mild, but the weather was all over the place. Sometimes it was windy, sometimes the sun shown through and sometimes it was dark and drizzly. I ran 17.4 miles at 9:42 pace.  I lost three pounds during the run, and I made a real effort to take in 48 oz of liquid fairly quickly.  I feel no headache right now while I'm typing, so I think it worked. This run topped a 61 mile week which is the longest of 2018.


Juice
Yesterday, I made a delicious juice from mostly dinner scraps.  The recipe included uneatable strawberries (I would have had to throw them away if I hadn't juiced them.), arugula stems, lettuce scraps and a handful of spinach. My juicer doesn't do well with soft fruits, but it was still yummy.

Friday Easy Run, 3/2/2018

Tortellini and Meatball Soup
Tortellini & Meatball Soup
Makings for a Juice
Yesterday, I made Tortellini and Meatball Pressure Cooker Soup for dinner.  I got the recipe from Copycat Recipes. My family loves this.  We have it at least twice a month. It has a lot of greens in it, so I, usually, save the stems for a juice.

Training
This morning was a little bit colder than I anticipated. The temperature was mild, but because it was so wet out, it felt cold. There was a little bit of a breeze too. As soon as I stepped outside, I turned back to get my gloves.

I got up early, but it took me a while to get out of the house this morning. I knew that I was going to run, and I knew that I was making myself late but I just kept thinking of things to do before I left. I ran 6 easy miles. The run was fine. Not fantastic or anything, but I’m listening to a really entertaining book.




Thursday, March 1, 2018

Marathon Pace Thursday, 3/1/2018

Rain was predicted for the afternoon, so I had no choice but to run before work. Oh how I didn’t want to. Watching yesterday’s track meet was fabulous, but grueling. My kids have been running track since they were very young, but they have never been on the same relay team.  They are two years apart, but that is just old enough so that they have never been in the same age group (at least that I can remember).  My youngest son is a freshman, and he ran varsity in his first high school track meet. He ran the third leg of the 4 X1. His older brother ran the first, and the team won the race. It was very exciting. They also ran in the same heat in the 200. The older one won the heat and the younger took second. The younger one may not run varsity again this year, so I was so excited to see them both together.


However, it was cold, bone chilling, freakishly cold. I thought I was all set to deal with the cold, because I packed my old, warm, red coat. When I got to the meet, I realized that I was wearing the color of the team that was hosting. I had to take off the coat and carry it. I had on a long sleeve running shirt,  a padded vest, beanie and gloves. I had the coat on my lap and a blanket, but I was still so cold. Everyone was freezing.  My poor husband gave me his sweatshirt, but it didn’t even seem to help. Families huddled together. Eventually, I was snuggling with friends under another blanket. I got there at 1:45. I didn’t leave until 7, and I shivered the entire time. When I got home, I started asthma coughing. I’ve never gotten asthma from just being in the cold before. After a couple of shots with the inhaler, I was fine, though.

Thursday Marathon Pace Training
Back to this morning...I was dehydrated, and I had had enough of being cold, but the weather was actually not too bad at all (a little windy) and would get much worse. There was a storm predicted this afternoon. I planned to take my inhaler right before I left for the run. I, also, prepared some tailwind for my handheld, and I was going to take that with me.  I forgot to take a couple of whiffs of the inhaler, and I left the handheld on the counter.  I remembered all this about a half mile into the run.  I had 11 miles with no water and certain asthma symptoms in front of me. I managed to screw that up. I could feel my lungs constricting from the very beginning of the run. It actually was a problem, but I figured I wouldn’t die and there was nothing to be done in the middle of a MP run. I struggles, especially with that last ½ mile.

The minute I stopped, I started coughing crazily. There was nothing to do but get home, but I still had a few miles to go. It was a little bit miserable, so I figured what the heck? I’m practically dying anyway, I might as well just do another MP interval. So, after a ½ mile recovery, I did a mile at a fast MP. Don’t be too impressed. It was mostly downhill. When I stopped after that interval, the coughing wasn’t nearly as bad. It was a slow crawl home after that. I tried listening to my book, but I couldn’t pay attention. I didn’t care. Finally, I had to pull out the emergency tactics. I turned on The Dog Pound. The best and worst of gangsta rap all in one album. Something from that album will get me home. I might have a detailed, intellectual discussion with myself about the effects of misogyny in rap music on black culture, or analyse the social markers in Murder is the Case that They Gave Me, or just roll to Gin and Juice. I save Snoop for desperate times...lol

Believe it or not, in the rush to get to work, I still forgot to take that darn inhaler, so I coughed through the first hour of work. I’m glad I made my paces. I’m glad that run is over. I’m glad that I don’t have to run in the cold rain this afternoon. I stretched my calves and rolled my my feet. It’s a wrap!