St. Patrick’s Day

Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #10

- Mel

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

As the runners like to shout out: WOOOOOOOOOOOOAH, WE’RE HALFWAY THERE! Halfway through Marathon training!

This was a drop-back week for me, as I rest and recover from the first half of training — and prepare for some serious mileage. Per my conversation with my Coach, the theme of the week was: Focus on something other than running. Kinda weird coming from a running coach, right? But the intent of that was to save my mental energy and let my brain refresh. I think most of us runners — especially those in the middle of marathon training — seemingly eat, sleep, bleed, (eat again probably) running. The downtime can help a runner be reflective in how training is progressing, but also be a wake-up call to do. your. strength. training. That said, this was also the week to NOT add anything crazy or new into my schedule.

As Coach says: There’s plenty of weeks left to worry about training (and mileage and fueling and… and…). FOCUS. Worry about other things, like, GETTING MARRIED.

vermont city marathon halfway training blog

My weekly plan included only 3 runs (all easy), 2 strength sessions, and yoga.

MONDAY Rest – and bi-weekly Coach call.

TUESDAY Strength workout for runners with kettle bell and TRX.

WEDNESDAY Easy 3-mile run (ran 3.17 to celebrate the upcoming holiday ?)

39:09 / 12:21 average pace

THURSDAY Skipped yoga; felt pretty energy-drained (thanks, PMS) and distracted about work and wedding stuff. Probably all the more reason to go to yoga, right? NOTED, UNIVERSE.

FRIDAY Wedding Day (and Rest Day) 😉

SATURDAY 7 easy miles on the treadmill

1:25:58 / 12:16 average pace

SUNDAY Easy 2-mile recovery run. A beautiful day in Iowa — we saw 70 degrees in the late afternoon! And though my motivation to run was low, I really wanted to be outside. Followed up my run with two rounds of my strength workout using both my kettle bell and TRX.

19:49 / 9:52 average pace

I also had a massage on Sunday morning. Every month, I’m dealing with a different issue – right hip, left calf, right glute, left hamstring… this session, seemingly a bungled up right quad. The last couple days I’ve had some right knee issues, and I wondered if something else might be the root cause. So, I’m spending some extra time stretching my quads (like, really stretching) and focused foam rolling. And I’m probably not going to wear those shoes on a long run anymore, just to be safe.

WEEKLY RUNS: 3 runs
WEEKLY MILES: 12.7 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 165.26 miles

vermont city marathon burlington panorama

Getting so excited to see Burlington in person again!

The Vermont City Marathon is only two months away (plenty of time for experienced runners to train!). Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration! Prices are set to go up again April 1.

Weekly Therapy: Luck o’ the Irish to you!

- Mel

the week:
Current status: Eating leftover (gluten-free!) wedding cake for breakfast.

weekend:
So, we made our marriage license official — and celebrated EIGHT YEARS together! ? We found a wonderful lady to come to our home and get our signatures (along with our witnesses), and then will celebrate with some corned beef and cabbage and shots of Irish whiskey.

Sláinte!

seven things, seven days:
1. Spent the week planning out my 50k training (and scheduling periods of NO RUNNING throughout the remainder of my 2017 calendar).
2. I also started my packing list for Ragnar Luckenbach at the end of the month.
3. The Science and Art of Belief – in trail running {via Trail Runner Magazine}
4. Even in middle age, your best running days may be ahead. HOORAY!
5. This research is important for me to see — and, I hope, more to come about low levels of Vitamin D in athletic populations, as I’m someone with seriously-low D3 levels with an inability to absorb supplementation and maintain normal levels: New study identifies threshold for vitamin D supplementation in athletes
6. THE MARSHMALLOW TEST IS A LIE (well, sort of) {via Psychology Today}
7. Speaking of marshmallows… I’m going to eat another bowl of Lucky Charms (they’re gluten-free!)

Weekly Therapy: March Starts

- Mel

the week:
I got moved again at work this week, and hopefully we can stay put until being able to go back to our regular office space because I miss my routine (but like my currently-shorter commute). While I shouldn’t be surprised at the effects, all of these changes have really caught up with me physically and mentally this week.

weekend:
The weather is supposed to be really nice on Sunday, so I’ve got a fun trail date with my fellow Turkeys!

seven things, seven days:
1. Did you see the special edition Brooks Shamrock Launch for St. Patrick’s Day???? Bummed that they are not the offset (or brand) that I prefer, but I purchased them anyways. ?
2. After finally finding a stylist to make my hair the shade of brunette that I wanted, this article made me hate my terrible hair just a bit more: Why We Think So Much About Our Hair {via The Book of Life}
3. My Rudy Rutabaga (read: cat) turned 8 this week!
4. 44 marathons in 44 (Euro) countries across 44 days… in support of mental health issues. {via Marathons for the Mind}
5. How to avoid overeating during periods of intense training {via Summer Tomato}
6. Information avoidance — aka: ignoring problems doesn’t make them go away! {via Science of Us}
7. OMG I LOVE THIS!!! >> I hate running {via Adventure Journal}

Weekly Therapy: healing from the littlest baby tooth that could

- Mel

the week:
I seem to be healing from my tooth extraction. Ready to move on from eating meals with baby food-consistency.

The boyfriend and I had a fun, mid-week date night. We had dinner at Braddock’s downtown and then saw the performance You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up! at the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret Theater (thanks Yelp!). The show is hilarious — and runs through May 5.

weekend:
Busy couple of days! Friday is our monthly bowling league night (I’m still hovering around a respectable 105 average per game); tomorrow I’m skating in Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade (pending weather; we might be walking instead); afterward, our group will be celebrating at the Toonseum for their ‘Stache Bash.

A full weekend of activities, culminates into the big celebration of our anniversary on Sunday (the lovely story of when two drunk Irish people hooked up on St. Patrick’s Day). Sadly, our special occasion restaurant is closed on Sundays, so we’ll be looking for somewhere new (or making sushi at home) to celebrate FOUR YEARS. Where has the time gone?!

First “date”: St. Patrick’s Day, Chicago 2009. Yep.

seven things, seven days:
1. Squee! Alert: my current obsession, thanks to bird breeding season, are nest cams. Pittsburgh has its own eye on Peregrine falcons at the Cathedral of Learning! And then a friend sent me the link to these adorable Barn Owls.
2. We won our home opener last weekend, but my home team lost the championships (and I nearly lost my head with too many sits in the penalty box).
3. Painting my nails at least once a week, thanks to Julep! {if you access via my referral link, use code 8563093 at sign-up!}
4. Craving fish fry and alcoholic milkshakes… SO RANDOM. But definitely experiencing some sweets-withdrawal.
5. Another AWESOME Sprig box this month (hello, carrot cake cookies — I cannot wait to enjoy you after March 31!). This company is opening my eyes to so many amazing companies making raw, organic and gluten-free snacks.
6. Is anyone else completely freaking out about the retirement of Google Reader this summer?!
7. Seemed appropriate: The Psychology of Flossing

Love and salt-water rinses (blech). And shots of Jameson. Sláinte!