January has come to a close and it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind with getting my running schedule set for 2015. I once again joined the Charm City Run Ultramarthon training group and I’ve made a couple new crazy running friends. The training runs with the group have been pretty awesome and I’m loving every moment being with them. They’re definitely my kind of crazy. Continue reading
I woke up this morning, did an hour of yoga and an hour of weight training at the gym and had no intentions of running. As the day went on, something kept welling up inside of me. I NEEDED to get out and run. I always get emotional this time of year as I reflect on all that has happened in the year and look to what the new year has to bring. This year was the first year I started trail running and I don’t know if that played a part of today’s run or what, but it was a very spiritual run. And my heart was full. Continue reading
I often get messages from readers asking what to do about their families who do not support their running. I tell them, they’re not alone. Continue reading
It’s been exactly two weeks since I completed the JFK50 miler. Going into the race, I swore that I would take off of running and start back again in January. I was burnt out physically and mentally of non-stop training over the past…well geez…I guess it’s three years now. I was content with giving it a break and was looking forward to it. Continue reading
When I registered for the JFK50 at the beginning of the summer, I knew that there was a chance of burning out. I have been training non-stop since I started running almost 3 years ago, but I got caught up in the moment and signed up anyway. There were spots left in what is typically a sold out race, and it was the oldest foot race in America, so why not? I had only trained for 9 weeks with my last 50-miler (NorthFace Endurance Challenge DC) and wanted to see what I could really do if I hunkered down and trained hard. Well, if you’ve been following my blog, you know that the exact opposite happened. I got sick, and busy, yada, yada…needless to say, the training really didn’t happen. Continue reading
Yes. I have entered the resentment stage of training. It’s the first for me. Now, I’ve been through the inevitable “taper tantrums” where you check out mentally and physically, but this is different. For the first time, I don’t care if I finish this race or not. I just want it over with. Even though I recently finished two marathons, one a PR and one an international one, my training has been shit. Barely eeked out a 50-mile week and was lucky to get 30 miles in a week. It’s not that I didn’t want to train…I WANTED to so badly, but shit happened. Asthma had my number this year (that bastard) and I lost my momentum. Then you have life…work…and life again. Oh, and I got a freaking dog too. As a cat person, I had no idea how much of a time commitment dogs were. <sigh> Continue reading
As my trip to Taiwan comes to a close, I’m anxious to get back to my laptop to tell you all about it. Writing a post on a cell phone just isn’t cutting it, so bare with me just a few more days. I can tell you the Marathon was great and Taiwan is amazing. So much to tell! In the meantime, here are some pics. Stay tuned! Continue reading
Seriously. How do I get so lucky with some of these running conditions? The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. It was mid-50’s at the start time and upper 60’s by the time I finished. There was no rain and a perfect amount of breeze to keep us cool when the sun came out. This was my 5th marathon. And while it’s supposed to be a regular ol’ training run for my 50-miler, deep down, I wanted a PR. I wanted 4:30. Even more, I wanted 4:30 for my friend Megs who had been busting butt all summer long in training.
We met with our Charm City Run training group at Pickles Pub just after 6 a.m. I was able to catch up with Joanna from Races for Awareness before the race. I was so excited to meet her. She’s helping me with organizing a virtual race to raise money fro the Dup15q Alliance which helps families with Dup15q kids, like my nephew. Yes, this is a little bit of a shamless plug. I hope you will join me in this race 🙂 Continue reading
Grit. That’s all I could think of when my partner in crime, Kendra, decided that she was going to run a solo marathon. She was supposed to run the Baltimore Marathon with me and Megs this weekend, but plans changed when something came up and she had to cancel out on the race. Life happens. We know that. But, when you’ve got grit, you don’t just hang up your shoes and quit. You get your ass out there an you run your marathon, even if it is alone.
As with the last 50-Miler that I did, I really wanted to get out to the course and see what I was up against. JFK50 has been known to be a great beginner’s 50-Miler, but with the 12-hour cutoff time, I’m worried that I can’t make it. As you recall, I finished my last 50-miler in 12:34:54 seconds. Yeah, I know it’s a different course, but still…I can’t help but worry. So, I hooked up with another runner (Erin) that I met through a friend of a friend via my Facebook page and we headed out to the Appalachian Trails (AT). Erin, who is one of the most organized people I know, planned out the details of both of our recon runs and I’m so glad she did. I didn’t have to lift one brain cell to think about anything at all. I just followed her lead. (THANK YOU ERIN!) Continue reading
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