Monthly Archives: February 2014

HAT 50K Training – Week 14, part 2 (Boy I love being a runner!)

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Another great run in the books! Because of yesterday’s snafu, today the target was 10 – 12 miles. Since a few of us decided to take it to Loch Raven where there were hills…oh the hills…we ended up with 10 glorious easy miles!  Those who know Loch Raven will appreciate that we ran up the “Dam” hill twice. Despite a few little areas that still had patches of ice, the road was pretty much clear. The sun came out, we had brunch and of course the obligatory Bloody Mary. Boy do I love being a runner and the friends I’ve made since I became a runner. I even love saying the word run. Run, runner, running! Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 14 – (Well, that didn’t go as planned.)

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Today’s goal of 4.5 hours (approx 20 – 22 miles) did not happen. And it’s not that we didn’t try…we tried really hard! After an hour of schlepping through ice and thick crusty snow at a pace of a 26 minute mile, we decided to take it to the road. It was way to dangerous and it wasn’t worth yet. Yes, yours truly took a spill on the icy path (and I wasn’t the only one), but I only ended up with a little bit of an ice burn or is it ice rash? Whatever it’s called it wasn’t bad but definitely annoying. Continue reading →

Whooho! I Have a Sponsor and a Giveaway!

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Guess what?! I was offered personal training as a sponsorship from Tony Osondu of Osondu Fit Club to help prepare me for the HAT 50K Trail Run. With the race only a month a way, I’m so grateful for the additional help. I’ve trained with Tony before and know that he’ll definitely make me stronger for the race and since I started incorporating more cross-training during this season, I have noticed that I’m stronger and that the trails are getting easier. Do you see me jumping up and down?! Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 13 (The Brunch Run)

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I switched up my long and short run this weekend to accommodate weather that we didn’t get. Yesterday I ran a glorious 7 miles out on the road with Bern. The hills weren’t as bad as they used to be and we kept a steady easy pace of about 10:50. It was great to catch up with her and felt good to get out of the house and stretch my legs.  Continue reading →

Friday’s Tip of the Week: Ankle Strengthening Exercises

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As a trail runner, I’ve learned that I have to pay special attention to my ankles to help maneuver the rough terrain. Here are 8 ankle exercises from WikiHow that you can do to strengthen your ankles. You can actually do some of these at your desk if you work in the office.

The detailed instructions can be found here. Continue reading →

Runners Inspiring Runners – Katy C.

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It’s funny, but I knew of Katy long before I actually met Katy. We had a mutual friend so I would hear about her and sometimes see her in passing at races. When we finally met, I liked her in an instant. I love her perseverance and her unrelenting determination. I was so impressed and SO PROUD when she knocked of 41 minutes off of her personal marathon best in one training season! 41 MINUTES!!!! Unbelievable! How can you not be inspired by that?! I knew instantly she was an inspiring runner and I had to include her in my RIR series. Check out our interview below. Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 12 (Sure, Let’s Add Ice Skating While We Run!)

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I’m happy to say that I did NOT fall today! Yay me! I had a couple of slips and close calls considering most of the trails were a sheet of ice, but that was it. We set out to do 2.5 hours and I think we came up a little short, but that’s okay. Next week’s run is going to be a doozy, so I’ll take all the easy runs I can get. Easy. Yep, I said it! I can’t believe that trail running is getting easier. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a challenge, but I’m still keeping up with the group and I’m running all the hills that weren’t a sheet of ice and I’m still feeling strong. Again, I’ll take what I can get. I know next week this will most likely not be the case. Continue reading →

Friday’s Tip of the Week – Speed Work

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Aaahhh…the quest for speed! At some point in your running life, you’re going to have the desire to increase your speed. Some have stronger desires than others, and some who don’t think they’d ever care at all will eventually find that they want a new personal best. There are many things that you can do to increase your speed and they range from fartleks (and yes, I snicker every time I say it), interval training, track work, drills, and tempo runs. Continue reading →

“Are you pregnant?” No, it’s just fat.

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So, I was at the gym this morning busting my butt and this girl comes up to me and asks me if I’m pregnant. I smiled and looked at her and said “No, I’m just a big girl. It’s just fat.” I can tell she was a little embarrassed and I can tell that the conversation that she thought she was going to have with me went right down the tubes. I’m sure she planned on telling me how amazing I was for working out so hard being pregnant and how she probably could never do it herself, but instead, I ruined her day by telling her that the “baby” I was carrying was conceived by eating junk. Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 11 (Basking in the Glory of a Great Run!)

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As a runner, you know to appreciate any good run you can take during training season. It seems like a long time since I had a great long run, but yesterday – it was GLORIOUS! I don’t know what I did different to make yesterday’s run better than any other run I’ve had since I started ultramarathon training, but who cares! Continue reading →