Flat Mama Friday

I'm ready for tomorrow morning's Greek Festival 5k in Charlotte.
I'm a little worried because on Wednesday night I dropped a cornhole board on my big toe. It's not broken but the tip of my toe is bruised and tender.
If the 5k goes well, I will attempt my 10 mile long run on Sunday morning.
Wish me luck!

Thursday Training Update

I can't believe I'm in week 6 of marathon training!

Wednesday I did 2 rounds of Country Heat. I can't get enough of this program!

Thursday was a 4 mile run. Fastest pace all week, and a nice easy run. I enjoyed every minute of it!

Saturday was my long run with the PG Speed Demons. 9 fairly flat miles done with 8 minutes to spare! I was thrilled with my time!

Sunday, the hubs and I hit the Riverbank Zoo in Columbia.

Monday was 6 miles, and I tried a new route that was a little hillier than I wanted, but a nice change of pace.

Tuesday was 6 miles of intervals. I had a stomach ache the whole time. Yuck.

Overall a great week of running, and so thrilled to be running healthy....

Wordless Winner #ifgirlsrantheworld

I don't normally post twice in one day but I forgot that I was posting the winner of the giveaway for If Girls Ran the World!
So, without further ado, the winner is....

#Morein24 with MDA Team Momentum

I cannot believe that we have passed the 75 day mark for the NYC marathon! In less than 75 days I will be running over 5 bridges in NYC and crossing the finish line in Central Park!
I am running NYC in honor of my Dad, who has a form of Muscular Dystrophy called Myasthenia Gravis. Today is the day that members of Team Momentum are trying to raise as much in one day as they can. Last year they raised $14,500 on More in 24 day! Wow!
So, today I am asking you to donate to Team Momentum here.
Every little bit helps! If I raise $500 today alone, I will do a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card! Anyone who donates today will be entered.

Taking a Rest Day... in Pictures

The hubs and I went to the zoo in Columbia SC today. It involved a lot of sitting, it's a 90 minute car ride! It was a fun way to relax for the day, and take a rest day from marathon training, which is very important and also very hard for me! Am I the only one with this problem?

NYRR Virtual Trainer

I've just finished week 5 of training for the NYC Marathon! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by. I'm not gonna lie, it hasn't been easy. Training started in July, which is super hot and humid in the south. I am a late morning runner, and I have been getting up at 5 in the morning to make it to my long runs by 6. It's dark at 6 y'all.
I decided to splurge this marathon, and get the training plan that NYC puts out. It's virtual, so although I have gotten a couple emails from a coach, my weekly email comes from a computer, basically.
The difference is, every week it updates to reflect my training. My estimated finish time also changes based on my weekly runs.
Every time I run, I go to the website and I put in my mileage, my finish time, and whether I found the run to be easy, medium, or hard on a scale of 1 to 10. On Sunday night I get an email with the new plan for the week. I printed it out when I first began. The entire 16 weeks. Big mistake! It changes constantly! Some weeks I have 3 runs. Some I have 4. Intervals, fartleks, hill repeats. And the dreaded long run. I never have to worry that my training isn't what it should be.
I'm really enjoying it, even though my required pace is usually anywhere from 13 to 15 minutes per mile. It makes me feel slow, but I do enjoy when I beat that goal. Today's long run, for example. I finished 8 minutes faster than my goal time!
I'm sharing this information for anyone who might be considering it in the future. It is well worth the $50!
I wrote this post on my own, it is not sponsored and I'm getting nothing for it except the knowledge that this might help someone decide somewhere down the road!

If Girls Ran the World Running Program! #ifgirlsrantheworld

  

 

 

What an exciting program I get to introduce to you all  today! I was selected as a Sweat Pink Ambassador to share this program with you, and I will be fundraising right along with you all. More on that later!

If Girls Ran the World will be taking place during the month of October, with the goal of collectively running 24,901 miles, to virtually run around the world! Why? To show that we care about each other as women. To show the love and support that we have seen on occasion during the Olympics, with athletes helping fellow athletes. To show our girls what it means to share the love!

How does it work?

1. Register! Click here to get started! You will set a mileage goal and then connect to MapMyFitness or Strava. they are both free to join, so choose one! I use Strava more, so I went with that!

2. Choose a charity to fundraise for!

 

 

 

I chose Girls on the Run. It was an easy choice. I am training to be a coach for my 4th season, and I feel passionately about it. Choose the charity that you have a passion for! The goal is to raise $250, and you would be amazed how easy that is! I posted once to facebook and I already have a donation! You can also log volunteer hours. As a coach, I will be adding some serious hours, but you can do anything! Volunteer at a water station during a race, at a PTO function, Girl  Scouts, your local Library!

 

3. RUN! Since your account is synched to your app, all of your runs will automatically post to your account. Just be sure to post them there. My garmin automatically synchs to Strava, but I can also add them in manually. There are prizes daily, so every time you run, you have a chance to win!  Post to social media to inspire others! It doesn't matter how fast or slow (especially in my case) that you run, just get out there and do it! Couch to 5k? Awesome! Marathon training? Nice! Running just because you can? Outstanding!

 

 

 

I have been blessed with so many role models in my life. My mom, my running friends (some of them are in the picture above), my friend Cathi (below) who teaches aqua aerobics at senior centers as well as a local gym. Hopefully, someone somewhere sees me as a role model as well! I may not be the fastest or the most fit, but I never give up! Isn't that what it's all about?

 

 

When you decide where your passion is, and go to choose your charity, there are lots of choices. If you don't see yours (I didn't) don't lose hope. There is a "Choose a Different Cause" button and you can search there.

OK so let's get serious here! There is a small registration fee of $25 to get you started. Once you choose your charity you will be directed to Eventbrite to register! However, one lucky reader will be able to register for free! I'm going to keep it super simple. Tell me what charity you would choose, and why, and you are entered! Who knows? Maybe they will let me give away more than  one! I will select a winner on Wednesday, August 24, so choose soon! My Wordless Wednesday post will be the winner's name. I will choose randomly at 6 pm Eastern.

I can't wait to hear what charity all y'all will choose!

(How southern was that? I am embracing my new SC home!)

 

 

SO....

What Charity would you fundraise for and why? 

Thursday Training Update

Wow, this was a jam packed week. 

Thursday I did my first Country Heat workout, Country Swing. I liked it so much that I did the second one as well, Giddy Up. So.much.fun. and a really sweaty workout. You really use your core and your quads. A lot. Ouch!

Friday was a 3 mile run. I'm totally over this humidity. I'm hoping that September is better, but this is my first southern Fall, so I don't know what to expect! At least I had the Zombies to distract me.

Saturday was my long run. I was out with the girls on Friday night to see Bad Moms, and we got home late. I totally blew off the running club so I could sleep an extra hour. Seemed like a smart idea but 8 miles alone sucks, even with zombies. I did stop at mile 5 to pee and refill my water, so that was a nice perk.

Sunday was a rest day and I legit rested. Seriously, I couched it and watched the Olympics all.day.long.

Monday I ran 5 miles. It didn't suck too bad, except when I got to my house and had a third of a mile to go. 

Ugh. That was a rough final third of a mile!

Tuesday was a 6 mile run. It was so humid and I felt so sluggish, but it was a good pace. 

Wednesday was a rest day so I.... did Country Heat. I tried to keep it low impact does that count?

I can't believe week 5 of marathon training is halfway over!

Oh, and I hit my minimum fundraising goal so that was awesome!

Today is My 5 Year Runaversary!

I can't believe it's been 5 years of running! I didn't run 5 miles today, but I did run 5 yesterday. You know that you are training right when  you won't  mess with your plan on your rest day!
So on this Wordless Wednesday I leave you with this...

Thursday Training Update

Another crazy week behind me! After Morgan and I came back from Orlando, I spent a lot of the next few days prepping for another trip!

Wednesday, I had a class with my trainer and she kicked my butt. This was the best pic I had, mostly because I had a meeting with the ladies from GOTR afterwards about coaching for the Fall season.

Thursday was spent packing and nursing a migraine I had all week. Friday was spent in the car. Not a great week for running.

Saturday we were in  Jersey and I ran a 5k with some friends and then the hubs and I walked around Asbury Park quite a bit. The 5k was fun but the weather was wonky so we skipped running any extra miles afterwards.

Sunday was the purpose for our trip: a surprise party for my MIL'S 70th birthday. There was much running around preparing and then a lot of dancing followed by a lot of cleanup. 

Monday we traveled back home.

Tuesday I ran 5 miles. It was meant to be for the Rock n Roll Virtual Run but I forgot to charge my watch and then my phone freaked out so I had no proof of mileage. Well, other than my weary legs, and I can't really use those! In any case, week 4 of training has begun!

Because I was traveling on Monday, I did the 4 miles planned for that day on Wednesday and got my Drum Solo done! It was a hot sweaty mess of a run, and my legs were a little tired, but I got it done!

Not a terrible week! I'm looking forward to the rest of this week because it involves Country Heat! Check it out at http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/barkingmad

Wordless Wednesday

Medal Monday

No medals were given to participants at my 5k this weekend, but I did arrive home to some fun mail!

Sea Girt 5k Recap..... sort of....

A quick trip to Jersey to drop off my daughter for college must include a quick 5k with my Jersey running friends. It was hot and humid, and my girls have just started their training, so we took it super easy today. We just talked and laughed and sort of ran. It was perfection.
Afterwards, we branched and then the hubs and I visited Asbury Park for some cupcakes and a hot pretzel.
Perfect day!