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Big Cottonwood Week 7: Swim Races and Running for Toilets

July 15, 2019 By in Big Cottonwood Marathon, Running, Training Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment
Big Cottonwood Week 7: Swim Races and Running for Toilets

This week was full of challenges, in a good way. I had a lot of fun traveling down to see my family and running two unique but fun races.

Monday: Easy 60 minutes running
Tuesday: AM: Easy 60 minutes running
PM: 3000-meter swim
Wednesday: 4X1 mile repeats (total mileage 10)
Thursday: 3000-meter swim
Friday Easy 10 miles with Alexis
Saturday: Allen Stone Run Swim Run (with wu/cd total mileage 8)
Sunday: Run for the Toilets (Total mileage 15)
Total: About 56

Week 1: Hello Humidity

Week 2: Half Marathons and Workouts 57 mpw

Week 3: Travel and More Travel 53 MPW

Week 4: Training: Beach Runs and Long Runs 52 MPW

Week 5: Training: Workouts and 10ks 46.5 MPW

Week 6: Big Cottonwood Week 6: Firecracker 5ks 47 MPW

Thoughts:

What a week!

Swimming:

I mentioned a few weeks ago, that swimming fits best in my schedule 2X a week. For a while, I was doing 3X, but I don’t want to burn out. Swimming twice a week keeps me engaged and enjoying it without feeling forced. This week was different with a bonus 1000 meter swim in the open water.

Workout Wednesday: 4X1 Mile Run

I’m happy I’m able to get back on the track. Since the students are out, it’s easier to use the track and not worry about team sports. Anyway, the workout felt difficult.

My legs have struggled to get any turn over in them. I didn’t realize how humid it was on Wednesday (around 98%), but I’m happy with my effort.

Allen Stone Run Swim Run:

I will have a full recap of this soon, and I surprised myself. The race is 1k on the beach, then swim it back, then 5k on the boardwalk. I was 55th person after the first 1k on the beach, and I ended up having the 22nd fastest swim of the day, which surprised me the most!

Then when we went into the 5k on the boardwalk, I went from 12th women to 4th. If I had been another mile, I could have been the second woman. No one (male or female) passed me on the run, and I’m proud of that. I all, I am thrilled with how the week went.

Run for the Toilets 5k:

My dad found this race in the local paper. They have a house up in Onancock (the house with the pet donkey), and he thought it would be funny to do. When we found out winners got plungers, we knew we had to do it. I ran the entire race alone, and it was more of a workout. I wanted to get a long run 15 miles), so I was careful not to hurt myself. I averaged about 7:15 miles and ended up breaking a toilet paper tape.

In all, I’m happy with how the week went. It was nice to relax and hang out with my family. Next week will be back to the regular grind.

Posts from the Week:

29 Years Old

New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

Finally, have you subscribed to the LOLZletter? It’s a free newsletter that comes out each Monday. In the newsletter, I share running industry trends and things relevant to the sport. 

Questions for you:

What’s the funniest race you’ve ever done?

What is the coolest race award you’ve gotten?

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29 Years Old

July 12, 2019 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , 3 Comments
29 Years Old

Today is my 29th birthday.

For some reason, I always imagined at age 29; I would look and feel older.

Maybe like an adult? It hasn’t come (yet). Anyway, looking back at age 28, I had a great year. I’ve been an “adult” for a decade now.

What Did I Do During Year 28?

Last year, I started age 28 with my first “real” trail race. I ran the Copper Mountain 25k, and it was one of the best running memories I’ve had.

under armour copper mountain race me running

It’s hard to believe that was a year ago now!

under armour copper mountain race me running

Last summer, I did a lot of traveling up and down the East Coast. We visited family, I saw friends from college, and I just had a good summer. In August, I ran/hikes my second trail race in Killington, VT. To me, it was more challenging than the race in Colorado because the terrain was much more technical. Then in the fall, I changed gears entirely and trained for the NYCM. I didn’t think I would do another marathon, but when the opportunity to run in the “sub-elite” corral presented itself, I couldn’t say no. I’m glad I did, and it was one of the best running experiences I’ve had.

New York City Marathon me running

Since the NYCM, running hasn’t quite come into place. I’ve trained, but I haven’t had any “spectacular” or amazing races. I’ve had a lot of great and fun races, but I’m well off PRs. Right now, I’m content with that.

In January, my husband and took a trip out to California. We drove from San Diego to San Francisco and just explored. We had no agenda (as most of our vacations are).

Hiking anderson park santa clara county

Marin Headlands San Francisco

The highlight of the Spring was adopting my two cats: Frick and Frack. I always had cats growing up, and I’ve wanted them for years, but our landlords or landladies always said no.

Finally, after proving we were good renters, they agreed. We found these two cats at the local shelter, and when I found out they had been there for five years (YES 5), I knew I wanted them. They were shy at first but have come out of their shell.

View this post on Instagram

Personality pic #noisycat #confusedcat

A post shared by Frick and Frack Sick (@frickandfracksick) on

The last few months have been quiet as far as personal and running life goes. I’m training for the Big Cottonwood Marathon in early September.  Running another downhill marathon terrifies me because the last one wasn’t my favorite race ever — cheers to doing things outside of your comfort zone.

Fulfilling my other hobby, I also went to over 50 New Jersey diners last year and have now been to 253. I don’t know if I’ll make it to 300 (if we move).  When I started this journey 5 years ago, I never imagined going to 250 diners. But as they motivational quotes say: you never know until you try! Bridge-Way Diner Old Bridge NJ

Anyway, thank you age 28 for the memories and to family and friends for supporting me!

This year, I wanted to do something and different for my birthday, so on July 20th, I’m running the Teterboro 5k to Homes for Our Heroes: a mission to build safe, affordable housing for military and military families.

This includes Veterans who have nowhere to live as well as military families in the NJ area.

I appreciate anyone willing to donate and support this cause with me.

My goal is to reach $500 and any amount matters. Here is the link if you are interested.

Questions for you:

Tell me about a charity you support.

What did you do for your birthday? 

 

 

New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

July 10, 2019 By in Gear Review, Running Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment
New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

The New Balance FuelCell Rebel is a brand new shoe from New Balance. In fact, it was released on July 1st.  There will be several different shoes released with the FuelCell line, including another carbon plated shoe.  The shoe isn’t called the “FuelCell,” it’s called the “FuelCell Rebel.” Like any brand, there will be many shoes called the “FuelCell [name]. (Like the Asics Gel Cumulus or Nike Air Pegasus).

When I first saw the shoe, I thought, “what a beautiful white shoe.” I’m in a white-shoe phase right now and can’t seem to have enough.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

Right out of the box, the Rebel looked sleek and fast. The FuelCell Rebel is designed for running fast, workouts, or races. There is minimal protection if you strike at the heal and more for the forefront of the shoe. If you are a forefront striker and maybe even underpronate, this shoe is built for you (which is extremely rare in the running world.)

New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

The FuelCell line was designed in collaboration with American distance-runner Jenny Simpson.

Quick Stats:
Weight: 6.1 Ounces
Drop: 6mm 

Fit:

The FuelCell has Trace Fiber Stitching and reinforced the engineered mesh.  This means there is minimal stitching with less weight. If you have a wide foot or have bunions, there isn’t additional stitching to rub.

There have been several brands try and create a high cut socklike upper, and they miss their (like the Brooks Levitate 2).  This is the first sock-like upper I’ve attempted to, that doesn’t irritate. You should still wear socks, but even though it’s coming up to the ankle, you aren’t going to find irritation.

The shoe fits true to size. I typically wear a women’s size 10-11 wide and the 10.5 is fine.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

Ride:

The outsole of the New Balance Rebel is something I’ve never seen in a running shoe before (which says a lot because I’ve reviewed dozens of shoes). It has support on the outer corners of the shoe and with a wider platform (for say, someone who supinates). It doesn’t correct anything, but there is a wider platform if you strike on the outer edges of your foot.

For the actual ride it’s fast, and light.  I have run several distances, including easy runs, long runs, and workouts. For me, it fits best for a long run or workout shoe. The FuelCell foam itself is the most responsive from New Balance yet.

I will note, to remove weight there isn’t a lot of traction. Like many “fast” shoes this year, I would advise against running in it in the rain.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel Shoe Review

Conclusion:

I like this shoe a lot. I’ve already run about a hundred miles in them. They are a great fast run shoe, and I feel supported from mile 1 to 17. Tied with the Hoka Cavu 2, this is my favorite shoe of 2019. If this is the debut of their FuelCell line, I think we will see a lot of good things to come.

Current Rotation:

Easy/Daily Runs: Hoka Bondi 6,  Hoka Mach 2,

Speed Work: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Reebok Float Ride Runfast Pro, Nike Streak Lt,

Long Runs: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Mizuno R2, Hoka Cavu 2

Races:  Reebok Run fast Pro

You can see all current shoe reviews here.

Finally, have you subscribed to the LOLZletter? It’s a free newsletter that comes out each Monday. This week I talked all about hydration.

In the newsletter, I share running industry trends and things relevant to the sport. There are often giveaways as well as discount codes.

Questions for you:

What is your favorite shoe? 

What is your “go-to” fast shoe?

 

Firecracker 5k (20:10)

July 9, 2019 By in Running, Training Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment
Firecracker 5k (20:10)

I haven’t run the Firecracker 5k in a few years. I never seem to be healthy at the race. I signed up a few days before keep me honest about showing up. (Last year I said I might run but then decided not to because it was hot).

Anyway, I arrived around 7, grabbed my bib, and warmed up. After about 2 minutes, it was already hot enough. Summer came fast, and the temperature lows have been in the 70s with the humidity at 95%+.

My favorite part of the entire race was watching the turkey get escorted off the course by the Haddon Heights Police.

Turkey being escorted off the road

Anyway, I got to my car, chatted with my coworker, and we headed towards the start, and I got to talk to coach Girard (if you read the newsletter, you know Girard gave great wisdom there).

By the time we knew it, we were off; I saw four females take off and assumed my place for the day would be fifth (which seems terrible to expect in the first .1).

The first mile felt like it was taking forever. I ran a 6:17, which is my fastest mile in a long time.

During the next mile, I saw I was slowly catching two females. I caught one female around 1.5.  I was shocked because 5ks haven’t been my scene in a while, so passing anyone is surprising.  I passed the next woman around mile 2 and found myself as the third woman overall.

The second half of the course has a few small hills, and I noticed I was catching the next woman. Even though I wasn’t moving much faster, I got the third place woman around mile 2.

The last mile was spent trying to maintain my podium spot. As we headed into the final stretch, I heard heavy breathing and two males outkicked me. I couldn’t give any more energy if I tried.

I crossed in 20:10, which is what I had for the day. I was happy with my effort and for the weather.  I even got to see and chat good friend and writer for the NYT Jen M at the race.

Jen M and I Haddon Heights firecracker 5k

Questions for you:

Did you run a Fourth of July Race? How did it go?

Big Cottonwood Week 6: Firecracker 5ks and Long Runs

July 8, 2019 By in Big Cottonwood Marathon, Running, Training Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments
Big Cottonwood Week 6: Firecracker 5ks and Long Runs

Last week, I wanted and needed a couple of days off from running. With the Fourth of July race, things were thrown off a bit. Plus, after six weeks of training my body needed a decreased mileage week.

Monday: Easy 60 minutes
Tuesday: Swim 2 miles
Wednesday: Easy 60 minutes
Thursday: Firecracker 5k (20:10) Total Mileage: 10
Friday: Swim 2 miles
Saturday: Easy 60 minutes
Sunday: 17-mile long run

Week 1: Hello Humidity

Week 2: Half Marathons and Workouts 57 mpw

Week 3: Travel and More Travel 53 MPW

Week 4: Training: Beach Runs and Long Runs 52 MPW

Week 5: Training: Workouts and 10ks 46.5 MPW

Thoughts:

Initially, my husband and I were going to hike all weekend. We planned to go up to Northeast NJ and spend Thursday-Sunday off the grid hiking. So a while ago, I planned for it to be my down week of running. Since he’s gone, that didn’t work out. On Friday, I woke up realized my body was not ready to run. I opted to swim instead.

Swimming:

Both times I got into the pool felt fine. Nothing was exciting about either time. I’ve preferred to swim 3000 meters. I swim 1500 meters (30 laps), stop and swim another 30. It’s boring and comfortable, but it’s what I’ve enjoyed doing.

Firecracker 5k (20:10):

I’ll have a recap tomorrow, but this is my fastest 5k in quite some time. (Maybe since March?). Then again, I haven’t run a lot of 5ks. It was 80+ degrees and 95% humidity. It was so hot.

17 Mile Long Run:

Long runs have felt extremely challenging. My legs feel fine, but the heat and humidity have gotten to me. I’ve learned very quickly that I’ve needed even more fluids (and if you know me, I drink a lot of water). So I’ve had a rough time adjusting. Sunday felt decent and it was nice to run part of it with Alexis. It made the run go by a lot faster.

 

Posts from the Week:

Flying to Essex County

June Training: Building Fitness

Finally, have you subscribed to the LOLZletter? It’s a free newsletter that comes out each Monday. This week I talked about products to carry water, and there is even a giveaway with a fuel belt. 

In the newsletter, I share running industry trends and things relevant to the sport. There are often giveaways as well as discount codes.

Questions for you:

How was your week of training?

How do you adjust to the humidity? 

 

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