Tag Archives: Training

Running Rewards | My Office Has a Candy Wall

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candywall-slideOn the opening slide of one of our capabilities presentations is a brief infographic with an overview of r2i, (the digital marketing and technology agency where I’m Director of Marketing) and there is a snapshot of things we love. At the top of the list is the Candy Wall. For the purposes of this post, it is absolutely a proper noun. The problem is, it’s not just one Wall of Candy where there are jars of Reese’s Pieces (my favorite), gummie bears, peppermint patties, peanut M&Ms and more; there’s candy around every corner. It’s in the lobby, conference rooms, the kitchen, at the printer stations, on our desks! And it just so happens one of my biggest weaknesses is my sweet tooth. Continue reading →

The Week Before the Rehoboth Beach Marathon

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The week before race day is many ways the most critical part of training. It is the final opportunity to stay healthy, make smart diet choices, get plenty of rest, follow the last days of tapering in the training plan, mentally prepare for running 26.2, and depending on where the race is, to handle getting race day gear prepped in advance. The things that happen on the week leading up to race day can certainly affect race performance. Continue reading →

My New Nike Zoom Vomeros

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I went for a Saturday morning run and as I was stretching afterward I noticed that the soles of my shoes were essentially shot. I’d known for a while that my Nike Zoom Vomeros were pretty much at the end of their life–the tear in the side ventilation was a dead giveaway. But for some reason I kept delaying the purchase of my next pair of running shoes. I’ve really been running mostly in my Nike Frees simply because I’ve not gone more than 5 miles and the Frees are ideal for short runs. Every now and then I’d switch to the Vomeros though. And after this particular run, when I knew my mileage would soon be increasing for half marathon training, I decided it was time to get to Charm City for the next pair of shoes. Continue reading →

My Pregnant Pace

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When I found out I was pregnant I was about two thirds of the way through marathon training for the Marine Corps Marathon. One of my first questions to my doctor was whether or not I could run that marathon at the end of October which would be the start of my second trimester. I was mentally prepared to run it regardless of the doctor’s answer but I knew I’d feel better having his approval. The doctor confirmed what I believed, and what I’d heard from others–it would be fine to run the marathon, just slower than I was planning. Because I had been training already, but more so because I’d already been running for years rather than having just started mid-pregnancy, my body would be able to handle the miles even while carrying a growing baby. What I really wondered is what running pregnant would do to my pace. Continue reading →

Praise for the Base

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If you’ve ever considered starting to run, my advice to you is to stop considering and get up and go. Start with one mile and mostly walk. Build to alternating walking and running in that same one mile distance and slowly add up to a second mile. Continue to run/walk. Then start to do more running than walking. Eventually add up to a third mile and switch back to the run/walk combo if you need to. Let your body get used to the movement of running and go forward at whatever pace is comfortable. Before you know it, you will have gotten so used to running you won’t remember why you never ran in the first place.

Plus, you’ll have a running base that you can build on and come back to throughout your running career. Continue reading →

What is it about 26.2?

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My husband and I were arguing one night about the reality of my being able to train for a 26.2 once we had our baby. The issue is not so much whether I am capable of training to run the marathon distance but whether or not we can figure out the family balance. I would like to be able to train with the support of my husband and ensure the new baby is not neglected. Details and marital differences aside, his opinion was that 13.1 is a perfectly reasonable distance to manage as a family and he ultimately asked, “what is it about 26.2?”

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Hot Weather Running

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With the recent and persistent heat waves on the eastern half of North America it seems only natural to not only commiserate about the heat with other runners but also to write about it. I’ve written about running in heat and humidity before and as I thought about this post I went back to read what I wrote the first time to see if anything had changed or if I had missed some important details in the first discussion. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the post from two years ago was still relevant. The only thing that changed is the temperature. Two years ago when I was complaining about running in crazy hot weather it was only high 80s and 90s. This year, as anyone who has been outside in the last few weeks knows, its been high 90s, low 100s with humidity so thick it’s hard to breathe.

Yet, we crazy runners continue to lace up and head out for a run. Or rather a slow, slow shuffle. Continue reading →

Has Anyone Seen My Speed?

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I swear I was fast. At least, for me, in my age group, for my distances. I spent a good chunk of time and effort working on speed and got to a very comfortable place this year where my ‘slow, easy’ run was at 8:40, my 5k pace was near 7 minutes and my other mid-distances paces hovered somewhere between 8:00-8:15/mile. But alas, I seem to have regressed back to a 9 minute pace and just logged a long run averaging 9:15/mile. This rut, if that is what it is, is both frustrating and enlightening.

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Anticipate the Hills

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Photo by dvs.

“Anticipate the hill.” Coach Ashley Halsey was behind me in a group ride with the Annapolis Triathlon Club and even though the road was still flat he was reminding me and the other rides to anticipate the hill. And as we approached the incline I heard “Shift…shift…shift.” “Keep up your cadence!” I was pedaling for all my might to maintain a fast cadence up a steep incline and only after we were plateauing and starting to coast the downhill did I really start to understand the purpose of maintaining cadence. And it all starts with anticipating the hill. Continue reading →

Runner’s Feet: The Bad & The Ugly (There is No Good)

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I’ve seen a few posts here and there about the “taboo” topics in running and while I don’t feel compelled to touch on all of them I am finally ready to discuss the topic of runner’s feet. And it’s not so much that I want to ‘discuss’ as it is I want to lament, whine a little and make sure other runners know they’re not alone in this ‘badge’ of distance running. I will admit that I have a strange and sick fascination with what happens to my feet over the course of training but that doesn’t make it any better. The slightly consoling bit is that in researching on this topic I found I was not the only one looking to discover the mystery of runner’s feet, or more specifically, runner’s toes. Continue reading →