Monday May 25th –Memorial Day! A day off work. A Monday that you don’t cringe at 😊 Can’t think of anything better!! And, it’s my running rest day. No running whatsoever. It’s my only day off so I truly need it and look forward to it. I did get out for a 12-mile bike ride and stopped over to see my parents and go on a walk with mom. We walked 2.25 miles together and it was lovely!!
Tuesday May 26th—Coach scheduled me for inclines on the treadmill. I usually run hills outside, but she made this set schedule of which incline to do at 30 seconds each, so I went with it. There were 4 sets of inclines that were 90 seconds each at different inclines. The hardest were at 8, 9 and 12. Holy moly! I almost fell off🤣. And then had to repeat. You ran 2 mins easy in between sets. This was fun and made the 5 miles go by very quickly. I then did some strength training but ran out of time to get outside for my bike ride. I ended up getting out around 6pm for my ride and did 12 miles. Overall, it was a good day of training for me. I must admit though, this was the first day in a long time that I was not motivated to run. Ever since the pandemic and staying home I have been all out, guns blazing, ready to go! I guess it’s only normal to have days like this. I fought thru it and did my run. That’s all that matters!
Wednesday May 27th—On the schedule today was to run 6 miles easy. I opted for treadmill today. Some days I just drink too much coffee before I need to head out and then think… where will I go to the bathroom? Is that too much info?!
I ended up running 8 miles because I was enjoying the run so much. Because I kept the miles easy it was okay to add on a few extra. I had hoped to get up early enough to knock my ride out too but no such luck. My bed is just so comfy these days. Anyone else have this issue? This was also the first day that I was going to work at my office for the first time in 11 weeks. I only went in from 10-3ish. It was amazing and much needed. I had some quiet time to focus and make calls to prospects without a kid interrupting. My daughter cried before I left, and my son could care less. Too funny how opposite they are. I got my ride in later around 6pm but only made it 5.3 miles. I was tired and figured there was no point in pushing myself.
Thursday May 28th—Today was tempo day! Tempo is hard. It’s that uncomfortable pace that you have to push yourself to and hold for some time in order to get faster. It’s especially hard for me on the treadmill. The track is still locked and not open or that would be my ideal place for tempo. So, treadmill it was. Good news was that I got my new pair of Hoka Carbon X in the mail the day before. Love running in new shoes and I’m a huge fan of these ones. This is my fourth pair of this kind!! I ran 1 mile warm up, 5 miles that ranged from 7:42 pace down to 7:24, then 1 mile cool down. This was hard but I got thru it! And now I am that much stronger. This was also another day that I ran out of time for my ride before work, so it was done after work. I got in 12 miles!
Friday May 29th—This morning I was feeling pretty beat up today. Like, run ragged basically. Luckily my run scheduled was only 4 miles easy so I did that and then had time to jump on my bike and got in 11 miles all before work. That is the best feeling ever. My legs are so much fresher when I can ride early in the day. If you comes to working out later in the day after work the motivation to get back out is super hard. I’m pretty self-motivated but some days it’s just super hard.
Saturday May 30th—After feeling pretty beat up from the feet up yesterday I was pretty sure that this run would suck. On the schedule was a 13-mile progression run that was supposed to end up fast miles and my last mile was to be sub 7:45. Yikes! How the heck was I going to do that? First, it was hot. And I didn’t get out till 10am. Sometimes the way you think can really mess with your mindset. I had to change that thinking and do it fast! I decided the most logical thing would be to start inside on my treadmill and tackle the first half at a slower pace. Then get out for the last 6.5 miles. My handheld water holder hopefully would be enough (It’s 16oz and so I put 2 Nuun tabs in there instead of 1 to make it strong). I use Nuun for most of my runs. If you have not heard of them, check them out (nuunlife.com). They are also sold at place like target or Dicks Sporting Goods. It ended up being enough but I had to ration it out. I was craving freezers full of ice around mile 4 on🤣. I’m happy to say that my last two miles were 7:36 and 7:27!! I had done what I needed to do. Splitting up the run helped me for sure.
As for biking, I decided to skip for today and get out on Sunday. Again, no need to push myself more than necessary in hot weather. If you are in it for the long run, you must listen to your body and make the best choice for that particular day.
Sunday May 31st– Last day of the month! I feel like March and April were years long and May just sort of flew by. I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way. On the schedule today was 5 easy miles and some biking. I decided that today would be the first day that I rode first, then ran. Running has always been my number 1 thing. So, I always put it first. However, I know that if I want to do some real brick training that I need to ride then run. Happy to say that I did it and it went great! 12 miles on the bike, then a quick outfit change and new water bottle and out for 5 easy miles. My heartrate stayed pretty low for my run, which is always want I’m aiming for when running easy. Some days though, depending on my stress level it goes higher than I want it to, regardless of whether the running effort felt easy or hard. Do you pay attention to your HR ever? I only have my watch taking it, I did not buy the chest strap yet.
My weekly totals were 43 miles running and 65 miles biking!
My monthly totals were 186.50 running and 223 miles biking! It was a great month of training for me overall.
Disclaimer: I received a ROAD ID to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
I have been running for over 20+ years. When I first started running, I was in my teens and now I’m in my 40’s 🤷🏻♀️. When I first started running, I was running with my Dad. Years later I finally understood why he was always running so many miles and then ended up going out for runs by myself. And ever since then I’ve pretty much been a lone runner. I enjoy my time out there and know that I can go at my pace, and where I want, and no one will hold me back.
That brings us to this year and the now. Hello, COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing and exercising alone. I love being an ambassador with BibRave because I get to try out products and review them and tell everyone about them in hopes they may find that they need it, or could buy for someone they know.
When this campaign came up, I jumped on it! I really should have been wearing this YEARS AGO!! I count all my blessings that nothing has ever happened to me over the years when I’m out running or biking or walking or alone basically. I mean if I look back, I have only fallen once and was able to get back up and get myself moving. But I’ve almost been hit many times while running or biking. And what if that were to happen? My phone is locked so they would not be able to get on that to identify me. Road ID truly gives me piece of mind when I leave my house.
What is Roadid? It’s basically a form of ID that you wear when you are out alone. I ordered the wrist ID which is a bracelet with my name, hometown, and then my husband and mom’s cell phone number. But they also offer the option of a plate they will engrave that will fit right on your fitness watch. This would be one less step from putting on your bracelet every day. I love mine and find it to be a new accessory along with my watch. They also have a shoe ID that is the same concept, but you would put it through your laces. So many options for you to choose from! Don’t be like me and wait forever to be safe. Order yours today so that you can feel safer going out alone. You may think nothing can happen to you, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Some of the best reasons to wear ID (listed right on their website) is that it can speak for you when you can’t and it can save your life. PERIOD! It’s far better to have Road ID and not need it than to need Road ID and not have it. It’s not just a piece of gear, it’s peace of mind. Probably the most important piece of gear next to your shoes!
You can use code SAVE25BRP to save 25% off any ID.
Head over to their site now: www.roadid.com and pick out something fun! Happy Shopping!
Monday May 18th – My day off from running. Again, it’s always much needed after hitting it hard all week/weekend and moving more now that I’m home with the kids and not at my office, sitting all day long. I worked all day long while watching kids and helping my daughter with virtual learning and then got out for my 5-mile walk. It felt great and my legs always appreciate moving but having a break from pounding the pavement.
Tuesday May 19th—My coach had some speedwork on the calendar for today. I decided to take to the treadmill and get it done. The workout was to run 2 miles easy then run 8X400’s with 2 mins easy in between each, which I changed to 400m between each because it’s much easier to figure that out on the treadmill. I did the 400’s from 7:14 down to 6:59 for the last 2. Then cooled down to 6 miles. Once I was done, I got outside for my 11-mile bike ride. It felt so great to get both running and biking done before work! I don’t know about you, but I think it’s the best way to start the day!
Wednesday May 20th—Today I ran 6.5 miles easy outside first thing. Still a little colder than normal out there, which is really making me think it’s so not May and still March. I am ready to shed the layers and wear shorts and a tank and still sweat! I did not have enough time to get my biking done before work, so I did my 11 miles afterwork. Which was nice because it had warmed up a bit and I was no longer freezing.
Thursday May 21st—Today is my Friday as I took off for tomorrow to make it a 4-day weekend and have a little less stress and not have to ‘work from home’. I woke up missing everything and felt so many emotions from it all. I miss going to the office, massages, the track, hugging my parents, going out to dinner, etc. all of it!
Today’s workout called for more speedwork, so I decided to run on the treadmill since the track is still closed. I miss the track so much!! My run was 1 mile warm up easy, 2 miles at 7:42, 1 mile easy, 2 miles at 7:30, 1 mile cool down. This felt great and not that hard. It was another day where I ran out of time before work to get my biking done so it was another day of completing that afterwork, which in all honesty is a blessing. Since I spend most of the day with the kids and trying to work, getting out after work is another time that I can have for just ‘me’.
Friday May 22nd—Today was my day off, woo hoo! My hubs golfed early in the day so there was no running first thing for me. I waited until well after lunch to get out once he finally arrived back home. It was nice to spend the morning with the kids and not have to worry much about working. We did do some biking and I got in 5.5 miles in the morning. However, it was another emotional filled day because I learned that summer camp will probably be open this summer at the YMCA. And I feel VERY STRESSED in sending my kids there. I mean, what if they get sick? How safe is it with all these other kids, and all those germs? I mean, I’m sure they can keep it clean, but I just have a bad feeling about the whole thing. I am feeling very pressured with regards to work and getting myself back to the office a few days per week. I can and have been working from home but do find it challenging to do any sort of prospecting and I’m in sales, so I have to start doing some prospecting or I’m going to finish with a very bad year. So, with all that said, I really REALLY needed my run today. On the schedule was 4.5 miles easy. I ended up running 10 miles and it started to rain about 3 miles into my run. I just kept going and going and it was exactly what I needed. Once I got back, I took a nice shower and then decided that I was skipping my bike since it was still pouring and the last time I was out cycling in the rain it was very slippery and probably not the smartest thing.
Saturday May 23rd—Ahh.. there’s nothing like Saturdays now. We have no where to go anymore so I typically sleep in when I can. Plus, it was pouring when I woke up and for many hours after, so I was waiting around for it to stop. I have no problem running in the rain, but I’d rather get out when it’s dry and get rained on. Not go out in the pouring rain. Does that make sense? It does in my head LOL! I had 12 miles on the schedule that wanted me to run the first 6 miles at an easy pace, and then add in surges after that. I was not feeling very fast or having to pick it up at any point, so I decided to skip it. I kept the miles all easy and really enjoyed every single one of them. It was humid out when I started and never let up. Around mile 7-8 I wished for a down pour and a water fountain. I got neither!! I skipped my biking today as I was pretty wiped out once I got back and know that there is no need to push it. I had an easy day on Sunday and knew I could clock in the biking with some rest.
Sunday May 24th—5 easy miles on the schedule today and they were great! It was a bit cooler this morning, so I enjoyed not running in the humidity. Loving my new marathoner shirt! It’s light and airy and I can run in it or wear it out!! I then came back and changed, ate a granola bar and got out on the bike for 20 miles. I felt amazing once I was done and enjoyed a good day with the kids.
My weekly totals were: 46.5 miles running and 59 miles biking.
Monday May 11th – As I mentioned before Mondays are my rest days from running and biking. By Monday my body is ready for a nice rest day. Though, I’ll admit if I do see anyone out for a run or bike, I do get super jealous. However, I know that one rest day per week is good for me and much needed. I do try to do some walking after work to get my legs moving. This Monday night I was able to do my 5-mile walk and it was still so cold that I wore my winter coat… ridiculous! I knew this week running wise would be kept easy for the most part to recover from doing the Yeti Challenge just a few days ago and running 31 miles in a 24-hour period.
Tuesday May 12th—Today I ran an easy 3.30 miles. My coach actually only had me scheduled to run a 5k, which is 3.1 miles, but I ran too far out and went over. Not a big deal because I kept the running on my easy pace. I then went out later in the day after work and biked 11 miles. Overall it was a good day! However, the weather still was colder than normal.
Wednesday May 13th—Today I ran 3.5 miles easy and then did 10 minutes of strength and core followed by 10 minutes on our water rower. After work I went out and did another 11 miles on my bike. Now that I have started with the biking, I find it hard not to get out on my bike every day that I’m running. I have the time so I should use it wisely!
Thursday May 14th—Today I ran an easy 5 miles and then right after my run I got on my bike and rode 10 miles. I decided that I am going to start to try to ride immediately following my run and not later in the day. I know that I actually should be riding first, then running but I’m not there yet (per the whole triathlon order but.. baby steps!)
Friday May 15th—Today I ran an easy 4 miles and then jumped on the bike and rode 11 miles. It felt great to get this all in before work. (Goals!!) The weather finally turned much warmer and it was great to not have to wear a million layers. I get so cold when I’m riding… much colder than when I’m running from all the wind. Can anyone believe that it’s finally Mid May? Some days it still feels like March. Literally with the weather LOL. Like we are in some weird time warp thing.
Saturday May 16th—Today the weather was even better! Have I mentioned that I love exercising in the warmer weather? I know, it’s not the norm. Everyone loves colder weather but I’m all happy when I’m working up a sweat. The hotter the better. Today I was going to head to the local trail but I decided to skip as I slept in and I knew by the time I got there it would be overcrowded and not the safest place to be. I decided the better option was to run 10 miles around my neighborhood. These miles felt great and I actually thought a lot about the yeti challenge I had done the weekend prior. My goodness what a huge difference it was weather wise. Once I got back home, I changed and then jumped on my bike and got out for 10 more miles. I felt amazing when I finally returned home! I had the rest of the day to lay low with the kids while they played outside… what a great day it was!
Sunday May 17th—Today the schedule called for an easy 4 miles so I ran those around my neighborhood and then got out for my bike ride. I rode 11 miles and then had a fun Sunday around the house with the kids. Now that we are stuck at home during this pandemic, I find myself enjoying my runs and bike rides so much more. I have not had any feelings of not wanting to run or bike since we’ve been stuck at home. I think some have had the opposite and have felt like they are not motivated to do anything. For me, trying to work from home and help my daughter with virtual learning and have the kids by my side for most of the day is my motivation alone. I need this alone time.. for me and for them. I am a better me because I have my alone time.
This week I ran 29.8 miles in 6 days of running, coming from the week prior where I ran 47 miles due to the challenge. I rode 65 miles, in 6 day of cycling.
Monday May 4th
Rest day for me. Now that we are stuck at home, I have been taking a 5-mile walk after work to get the legs moving. I am doing the Yeti 24-hour Ultra Challenge starting on Friday night so this week will be an easy week for me so that my legs will be able to handle the 30+ miles I will run Friday through Saturday!
Tuesday May 5th
I had 7 miles easy on the schedule. I ran outside and it was back to being colder than usual so long sleeves, pants, ear warmer and gloves. Will spring ever stay here? The miles felt good and easy (9:26/mile). My average HR was still higher than normal being at 150. My Garmin is telling me that I am overreaching. I did also ride my bike later in the day my usual 11 miles.
Wednesday May 6th
I decided to run inside on my treadmill to give my body a softer surface to run on. I ran 3.1 miles easy and my average HR was much lower at 127. I think stress also plays a huge factor in the HR. When I’m outside I’m not always running on flat surfaces, and I’m now playing frogger with all those out walking and stressed about running too close to them and I think all of that takes a toll. I also used our rowing machine and did that for 30 minutes. Overall, I felt good with both workouts. However, my Garmin now states that I’m unproductive. How interesting LOL.
Thursday May 7th
Had the option to not run or run up to 3 miles easy. I opted for 3 miles easy. It was chilly but sunny for my run and it felt great. My HR said otherwise. Again at 150. I am not sure what that’s all about but I know my body and I know that I did not run fast or feel ill while running so I’m going to just go with how I feel and not listed to my watch.
Friday May 8th/Saturday May 9th
This is the day that I started the Yeti Challenge. I was originally set to start at 6pm but decided to move it up to start at 4pm. Below are my recaps and pictures from each run. It was a great experience and I’m so glad that I signed up to do it.
4pm start time
8pm start time
12am start time
4am start time
8am start time
12pm start time
Sunday May 10th
I did not do any sort of running today. I did walk 4 miles to help the legs recover and tried to take it easy all day. It was Mother’s Day and I was spoiled by a wonderful brunch, and a lovely dinner, flowers, chocolate and home made cards by my husband and kids❤️. I also got to go see my mom for an outside socially distant visit for about 2 hours. What a great way to end the week.
I have decided that after I finish recapping the last two months that I will start to blog weekly about my training. With everything that has happened with the pandemic and now me working from home I feel like my weeks and months are all mushed together. Not to mention that the month of March and April each felt like two separate years. Anyone else feel me on that?
For the month of March I ran a total of 169.5 miles and for the month of April I ran a total of 173 miles. I kept with running 6 days per week and having one rest day. My weeks were all around 40 miles per week. In March I was focused on training for my upcoming half marathon (Salisbury Half that was scheduled for 4/4) as well as for the Broad Street Run (scheduled for May 3rd). Both races ended up getting cancelled. For March and April my coach kept my long runs between 10-14 miles and gave me some with some speed mixed in, and others were just long easy runs, which by the way are my favorite! The weather was hit or miss for both months. Some days were super warm but most were on the colder side or raining we really enjoyed when the weather was nice so we could spend the day outside.
More towards the end of March I started bringing my road bike out and was riding up and down our street with my kids. My daughter finally decided that she wanted to learn to ride her bike and did so in just two days!! She is 6. My son on the other hand decided that at age 3 1/2 he was going to ride a two wheeler and did! He’s 5 1/2 now. We are fortunate enough to live on a no outlet street so the kids can all play in the street without worry of being hit by a car. I will be honest here and say that once we were ordered to work from home for 2 weeks on March 13th that I really enjoyed no longer commuting to work (40ish mins one way), wearing suits and heels, being rushed every which were, and worn thin from not having enough time to fit it all in. The schoolwork that was sent home was in paper form and we completed that each day with no issues. My daughter did catch the flu, diagnosed on 3/18. That day she woke up with a fever and a cough, both systems of COVID-19. I had to beg the doctor to see us that day. It was crazy times! Thankfully I worked very hard to keep the kids separate and my husband and I took Tamiflu to be proactive and no one else in the house got sick.
During both months I still continued on with having speed work sessions, 2x per week. To me, it was an outlet that I still needed, and now even more, because of the new kind of stress work from home created along with helping my daughter with virtual learning and trying to keep my 5 year old son entertained. The days were super long and to be honest they still are and I dread EVERY SINGLE Monday. I hate saying that because I have to also remember and acknowledge that it could be a lot worse and I have to be thankful for what I have. I also added in biking 11 miles per day 6 days per week, and keeping with having Monday as my day off. On Monday I go for a very long walk (5 miles) once work is over and I then make my husband take over with kids because I’m with them all day long. I am loving the biking and ended up logging 23 cycling miles for March, and then 220 cycling miles for April. I feel myself getting stronger from all the cycling and am going to continue with this as long as I can. Now that I have more time on my hands from not having to go anywhere I decided that I better make really good use of this time. I don’t want to look back on this time and say I watched a whole lot of TV. I want to be the strongest version of myself that I can be!
For the month of February, I logged 146 miles. I was training and maintaining my fitness last month to complete the fairytale challenge in Disney on February 22nd and 23rd. The challenge was a 10k on Saturday followed by a half marathon on Sunday. I will be writing a full race recap on the race but must overstate just how much fun both of these races were. Run Disney should be on everyone’s race wish list. They put on an incredible race and I now want to do every single other one!
During the month of February, I continued with having 6 running days and 1 day of rest. Monday’s are my rest day and I stuck with that day all month. When I was younger, I never ever took a rest day. I thought I would lose fitness by doing so. Now I know better. Your body needs rest to recover so that you can train better. Some runners take 2 rest days per week. I am good right now with the 1. But I could change that based on how I feel. Utimately you can have a race training plan but you have to listen to your body. It will tell you when you need to rest and when you need to run‼️
For all weeks this month I did 4 runs that were easy paced and then 2 runs that had some speedwork included. More recently my coach has been giving me directions for my long run to either go in progression (start slow and get faster each mile) or go easy pace then do a fast finish for the last 2-3 miles. This took a little getting used to because most of my long runs were ‘easy’ runs with no speed. But I think and believe mixing in the speed with the long run will definitely help prepare me for race day! The other speed work days I did a mix of things…. ladder workout, mile intervals. Out of all speedwork my favorite is mile intervals. What is your favorite?
I mentioned in a prior post that I work with a coach. I am now working with another coach and I started with her on March 1st. She has become a friend of mine and got into coaching so I wanted to support her, and also feel more connected with her so I decided to make the change. The last coach I worked with from 2019 through the month of February. She did nothing wrong but sometimes you need to make choices and decisions and go with it and so I did. I had another coach before my second one. So now I’m on my third. Haven’t they always said, third ones a charm?! I believe this one will stick!
Happy Training everyone!
Disclaimer: I received a set of Knockaround Fast Lanes to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews! This review is my own and is my honest experience with the product.
The pair that I received were the neon summer Fast Lanes and boy are they FUN! They are light, pretty to look at, have not gotten scratched and STAY ON MY FACE! I don’t know about you but if I’m running or biking and my glasses keep moving that is a big fail in my book. I want them to do their job; I don’t want to constantly be adjusting them! Here is me wearing them and then a quick picture of them from their site.
There are many, many more colors and styles to choose from. I almost forgot to mention that they are affordable! Even for the polarized ones. You can order a bunch of pairs to help match your clothes😎. I think that is way more fun than paying $200 for only one pair of sunnies. Just my opinion.
Also, really helpful is on their website they have a sizing guide for you! Not all heads are alike and this can help you pick out what might be best for you while not being able to try them on.
After trying these out for the past few weeks I highly recommend them and think you should check out there website and place an order – you won’t be disappointed! You can even use my discount code ‘BibRaveKnocks4’ for 20% off your entire order until 4/30🙌🏼.
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Salisbury Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a Bibrave pro (ambassador), and check out Bibrave.com to review, find and write race reviews.
Update: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was able to defer my entry to 2021. All 2020 participants will be mailed their 2020 medal and a custom Hoo Rag. We can then run the distance virtually and share the results with a picture on social media.
Back in January I decided to sign up to run the Salisbury Marathon on Saturday, April 4th, 2020. This race is located and run in none other than Salisbury, MD. I am from and live in Pennsylvania so this was geographically not too far from where I live and made sense for me to run because we could drive there Friday, stay over, run and then plan to spend the rest of Saturday exploring the town of Salisbury. I have never been to this part of Maryland before and also have not run a race in Maryland so this will be exciting on all fronts!
Some of the amazing facts about the races offered:
- The course is not only USATF certified (Full and Half) but is designed for our Physically Challenged athlete friends as well. Special categories exist if you are physically challenged or if you are part of a team or group that helps our Physically Challenged friends!
- The Marathon course is a Boston Qualifier!
- All races are flat and FAST!
- The Half Marathon is run on the same course as the Marathon for 11 miles.
- There are aide stations every 1.5 miles and bathrooms at every one of those stops
- If you aren’t ready for the mid to long distance you can always try the 5k.
- FREE, professional photos – what could be better than that? I don’t know about you, but I struggle sometimes with the cost to buy my race photos because most races charge way too much for them.
- Post-race party – Beer and Live Music – Can’t think of a better way to celebrate after a race.
- Packet pick up is normally two days, and the morning of the race. The first day is on Thursday night and is a local brewery. The second day and race day pick up is scheduled at Salisbury University.
- Our very own BibRave Vanessa Junkin is the coach for race and can provide anyone that signs up with a great training plan.
My goal for the race (half marathon) was to beat my personal record time of 1 hour 44 mins. I was working with my coach on a training plan the last two months that would allow for me to be in race shape and have a really good chance of getting that PR! Even when the race was cancelled I still kept up with my training. I was and still am excited about running this race. I plan to run the virtual run as well as run the race next year on April 3rd, 2021. I hope to see you there as well!
BibRave Discount Code: ‘ BIBRAVE2020’ for 10% off race registration
To check out the Salisbury Marathon check on these sites:
https://www.sbymarathon.com/Race/MD/Salisbury/runsby
FB: @RunSBY
TW: @sby_marathon
First word: Patience. It takes a whole lot of that. And a different mindset. Before kids I ran whenever, and wherever I wanted. I had the freedom to do anything. Then once we had our daughter things were different. My life revolved around her schedule, not mine. I knew that I wanted to continue to run so I did when I could. I didn’t post on social media back then about my runs so I don’t have any pictures of that. However, my biggest and strongest support system was my husband. He knew that I needed my runs most days and so he let me get out when our schedules permitted that. Prior to kids I was always a night time runner after work and on weekends later in the day. It wasn’t really until a few years ago that I started to wake up early and get my runs done before the kids were up, because that became an easier time. It helped a bit with mom guilt too. That guilt where you should be spending all your time with your kids and not doing anything else. Especially since i’m at work 5 days a week full time. However there’s been plenty of times where I’ve had to stop my run and get off treadmill for various kid related things (change diaper, wipe butts, snacks, get toy for them, etc). That’s when my mindset needed to change. It again was about them, not me. And sometimes runs got altered and I had to be ok with it.
Going back to when Lily was a year and a half and Braeden was the new baby I was running 3x per week and that meant two weekdays and one long run on the weekends. It really wasn’t enough but it was all that I could find the time and energy for at that point in my life. I ended up becoming injured after my first post baby marathon in late November 2015. I took some time off (weeks) and then was back to running and at that point I got up to running 5x per week. I ran two half marathons in 2016 and then decided to run another full marathon in 2017. Despite being in better shape and running way more than before I again was plagued with the dreaded IT Band Injury. I went to see a sports medicine doctor and he diagnosed me. WEAK GLUTES AND HIPS!!! I now see and hear about this so much more. As we get older we cannot just run and that’s it. We must do allllllllll the strength and core work. We must get back to the basics as we call it. That stuff will help ward off many injuries and can be done a few times per week in a short amount of time. Even at any point in the day.
So now that my kids are age 5 and age 6 and doing activities, and both of us working full time, it makes finding the time to run even more challenging. On most week days I have to get up early (5am) to get my run done because the kids now have week night activities and homework and we are super busy. Also, we transformed the basement into a fun area for both us and the kids. It makes working out much easier because they can be down there with me and enjoying themselves as well. It’s great having all the workout stuff at our house so that I can get my runs done early morning without having to leave the house. And that way my husband can go to the gym while I’m in the basement. It’s a good balance and it’s been working well for us.
On nicer days my kids have asked to go running with me. Or I will ask them. We won’t go long of course but it gets them out and about and I love having them with me. It literally WARMS my heart. I hope that they will still want to run with me when they get older and that it can be a family thing. They do come to all my races and again, mad props to my husband who has to watch them and keep them entertained while I’m out running my races. We all do need that special something in our life to make us better, stronger, and more confident. That is what running is for me.
So, to conclude: It has taken a whole lot of patience and a different mindset to be able to run all that I do, and balance the lifestyle of working full time and being there for my kids, and husband. Anyone can do it. You just need to figure out how it can work for you, be consistent and show up, even when days are bad or things don’t go your way. The effort you put forth in your every day will help you more than you could ever know. Remember, results don’t happen over night! Thanks again for reading my blog. I appreciate your support.
The Marathon Mom 