Wednesday, January 31, 2018

57 Miles + End Of January

After CIM, I remember thinking about how tough the marathon is on our bodies. Rest and recovery is so critical to our long term success and as much as we want to jump right back into training, it's much smarter to ease our way back. It's been eight and half weeks since the marathon and I feel really good and ready to start training again. The last few weeks have been a nice transition of lots of easy runs, getting back to longer runs and a tiny bit of fast stuff.






Here's what last week looked like:

Monday January 22nd - 4 easy miles (Monday is an optional rest day or very easy miles. I wanted to shake out my legs from 13 miles the day before and a four mile trail run was just what I needed.)

Tuesday January 23rd - Seven easy miles

Wednesday January 24th - 2 mile w/up, 15 x 1:00 on (1:00 jog), 2 mile cool down. 
Incorporating some speed back into the legs. 5:25 - 5:50 pace on the these one minute repeats and I felt like my legs were ready for a bit of speed! 8 total miles

Thursday January 25th - 7 easy miles

Friday January 26th - 10 miles (easing back into double digit weekday runs)

Saturday January 27th - 7 miles




Sunday January 28th - 14 miles (at 7:40 pace). I ran this on the treadmill, but I was able to settle into it and run a good effort, not at all hard, but a good pace.

Total Miles for the week: 57

Total January Miles: 181.1

Onward to February, friends!


What are you most looking forward to in February?

How do you feel about your beginning of the year fitness?

Do Awesome Things.

xo,
Natalie


Monday, January 29, 2018

Koala Clip Review + GIVEAWAY!

The month of January usually crawls by like a snail and I find myself wondering, "Is it still January?" That is definitely not the case this month. The month has flown by so fast and how is it the last Monday in January already... 
Running has been going well and I'm excited to review a new product that I know you are going to love as much I do! It's called the Koala Clip - an amazing little pouch for your phone that allows you to clip it onto your sports bra and not worry about where to put your phone.






I don't know about you guys, but putting my phone in an arm band does NOT work well for me. I never liked the idea of having something on my arm while running. For a long time, I have placed my phone in the zipper pocket of my favorite shorts, but I've been really enjoying the Koala Clip. It allows me to attach my phone to my running bra, which leaves more room for fuel and my key in the back zipper pocket.







I have taken the Koala Clip out for many runs in the past few weeks and it really does hold up to the challenge. Trail runs on rocky terrain, long runs, tempo runs, easy runs, super sweaty, hot runs - this clip has stayed in place and I don't notice that it is there. I like that it fits in all types of running bras - the pics in this post are with a low cut (in the back) bra, so the clip sticks out a bit in the back, but it didn't bother me at all on the run. The only thing that I have to get used to is reaching my arm up to unzip and grab my phone rather than grabbing the back pocket.



I usually put my phone in the bottom zipper pocket, now I have extra room for fuel and other items. 


I felt safe putting my phone in the pouch, it's well made and had a nice layer of cushion inside.


I'm an android girl (not an iphone) and it fits great.


Good padding and zipper to keep the phone secure.



Now it's time for me to say "Guess whhhhaaat?" - and when I say that, you know it means something good! One of you lucky friends is going to get one too! I love sharing the love and Koala Clip is kindly giving one away. Head over to my Instagram to enter to win.

Whether you are running, strength training or cross training - who has time to worry about their phone? Koala Clip is a great solution to keep your phone safe and accessible.



** I was given a Koala Clip to review, but as always all opinions are my own. 


Do Awesome Things.

xo,
Natalie

Monday, January 15, 2018

Getting Back Into The Swing

Just wanted to check in and say hi! Middle of January, six weeks post marathon - here we go.  I'm easing my way back into the swing of things...



Taking time to enjoy the view post run



I hope you guys are doing well, marching your way through the month and keeping your eye on the prize.

Here's what my workouts looked like last week:

Monday January 8th - REST DAY

Tuesday January 9th - 7 easy miles

Wednesday January 10th - 7 miles with 8 x :30 second pick ups (paces were 6:40 to 5:50)

Thursday January 11th - 6.2 miles

Friday January 12th  - 8 miles




Saturday January 13th - 6.2 miles

Sunday January 14th - 11 miles


Total miles: 45.4


I've pulled out my trusty band again and have been determined to use it at least 5 days a week. I do these exercises usually every evening and on those days that I am bone tired and don't want to do them, I think about my goals and get to work. I find that it's hard at first to get on the mat and then as soon as you complete one set, you warm up and totally get into it :)




I ended up with five days of (with the band):

Monster walks and lateral walks (3 sets of 16)

Clam shells (2 sets of 15)

I did two days of squats (2 sets of 10)


Then I did these daily this week:

Donkey kicks (2 sets of 20)
Push ups (3 sets of 20)
Dynamic planks (3 sets of 20)
Bicycle crunches (2 sets of 60)
Bridges and single leg bridge (2 sets of 20)
Superman (2 sets of 20)
Single leg deadlift (2 sets of 15 - with a 15 pound weight)
Side plank single leg raises (oooh, they burn! 2 sets of 15)

Plus the usual tiny bit of yoga (GOAL - do more yoga!):

Legs up the wall
Pigeon
Child's pose
and I've been loving happy baby, which is so relaxing at the end of the session :)

Zero swimming or other cross training this week, but it was a good week of easy, low mileage running.

Cheers to a great week of running and workouts!

Do awesome things.

xo,
Natalie


Friday, January 5, 2018

Running Goals For 2018

Hey, what's up you guys! Happy first Friday of 2018 :)
I hope you had a great run today, please run enough for me, cause I'm just over here zonking out on the couch. I've got some kind of bug that has taken every ounce of energy that I have - so it's been a game of bed, couch, bed for the last couple of days. 

My runs this week have been: 

Sunday (12/31/17) - 12 miles 
Monday - OFF
Tuesday - 7 miles (I was feeling a little fatigued/under the weather)
Wednesday - 6 miles (was supposed to be a tempo run, but I just didn't feel up to it)
Thursday - OFF
Friday - Another day OFF

Not a chance I'm taking a pic in my current state, so let's just look at a pic from one of my favorite runs in the world, shall we?






How's the lululemon Challenge coming along? I hope you are logging some good miles and having tons of fun along the way! Don't worry if you have to skip a day or some days, just keep going and pick up where you left off :)


The beginning of a new year brings new goals and a fresh new 365 days to work hard and have so much fun. I've been thinking a lot about my goals and here's what I've come up with (PS: I know sometimes it's hard to put your goals out there, but it's refreshing too).


1. Run some shorter races
Coach and I had a great planning session and I'm excited to run some shorter races this year and really focus on speed. Specifically this would look like: a good amount of 5Ks and 10Ks during the year - it'll be fun and won't interfere with marathon training at all.
Time goals? Humm, I haven't focused on either distance too much, but for 5K a sub 19 would be where my head and heart is and for 10k - I kinda don't have a time goal right now (I haven't raced a 10k in a long time), but early 6ish minute pace would be a sweet, good run for me.

2. Faster Half Marathon
I've got a good PR under my belt and I'm looking forward to running faster in the half. Sub 1:27 here we come.

3. Work on flexiblity
I do a little bit of yoga almost every evening, but I'd like to continue to work on my flexibity (specifically yoga and pilates) - I think it'll make me a stronger runner.

4. New Places and Faces
I want to run some new local runs and travel to some fun places to run this year! I'd also like to run with more people and make some new running friendships along the way.

5.Safely Run More Miles
There's a reason why elite runners log so many miles - want to be a better runner? You gotta run. We've been slowly ramping up my weekly and monthly miles and I'd like to build on that this year with more miles.

6. Keep focused on the little things
SLEEP is a big one for me. Going to bed at the same time every night. Setting a alarm if necessary to make myself go to bed. Strength training is going well, but I'd like to ramp this up even more and get stronger.

7. Run a Sub Three Hour Marathon
Ahhh. There. I wrote it down. I went into CIM in low three hour shape and with hard work this is going to happen. A marathon time that begins with 2:xx
#boom

Alright. That's what I've got. Now off to take another nap and get healthy so I can get to work on these goals. Fingers crossed that I can run this weekend!


What's one goal you are working toward in 2018?



Do Awesome Things.

xo,
Natalie




Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Start The New Year Right With The lululemon 40-80 Challenge!

We still have our Christmas tree and the kids wants to light it every evening, but the New Year is definitely in full swing! Can you believe it's already the third day of January?








It's so fun to write down, dream about and plan our fitness and running goals for the new year. Are you fired up about making 2018 the best year ever?!
lululemon has a really fun challenge happening RIGHT NOW that I'm excited to share with you! From January 2nd - January 15th participants can sign up to run 40K or 80K in two weeks and receive a unique badge from Lululemon! Details of the prize will be revealed once you complete the challenge, but it will definitely be worth your while :)







40k is 24.85 miles and 80K is 49.7 miles which breaks down to 12.425 miles per week for the 40K or 24.85 miles per week for the 80K - choose your goal and go for it!

For new runners, let's look at this even closer:

40K = 24.85 total miles = 12.425 miles per week = 1.76 miles per day.

Here's how you can make this a reality:

1. Grab a pair of running socks and shoes (Need a pair of shoes? Have a local running store fit you for a good pair of shoes that work best for your foot - this is SO important to prevent injury).
2. Dress in your favorite running outfit - it's okay if you only have one - just wash it that night and use it again. This does not have to be fancy.
3. Got a GPS watch? Use it to track the distance. If not, just map our your route beforehand. 
4. Live back East, Midwest or South where it is bitterly cold right now? Hop on the treadmill on those days where it's too cold. Play your favorite tunes or watch a TV show - make it FUN.
5. Run slowly for three to five minutes, then stop and begin a short dynamic warm up. You can follow along with the dynamic stretches that I perform before every run - go HERE to follow along.
6. After your warm up, slowly begin running again. Run at your pace, and don't forget to smile - it really does help :)
7. 1.76 miles - you did it! Now grab a glass of water, lightly stretch and jump in the shower or an epsom salt bath to warm up. Don't forget to refuel with a healthy snack like a banana or apples with nut butter (peanut, almond, sunflower are good ones).
8. Get ready to do it again tomorrow (and don't forget to check in with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program).

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

2018 is YOUR YEAR. Let's make it happen.

Do awesome things.

xo,
Natalie

Monday, January 1, 2018

Happy New Year 2018 + How To Look Your Best During A Race

Happy New Year friends!!




Today is the first day of a lot of great running in 2018. Lots of running and lots of races are on tap for so many runners during this bright new year.
For women runners, the majority of the time we run without makeup, right? My daily beauty running routine consists of moisturizer and sunscreen plus a little bit of lip gloss and that's pretty much it. I wash my face as soon as I return from a run (usually in this order: finish the run, stretch my calves, light additional stretching, water, refueling snack, more stretching and core + strength on strength days, then shower/wash face) and put on more moisturizer, under eye cream and a serum.

What about race day? After all the training and work it's finally time to race and have fun. When the race pictures are e-mailed after the race, you want to look your best - healthy, glowing, and receiving a picture that you can look back on with a smile.

Race day is practically the only day I'll wear makeup during a run. I love showering the morning of a big race, smoothing back my ponytail, pulling on a fun race outfit and applying a little bit of of color to my face. When I stand on the starting line, I feel fresh, confident and ready to run my best.

I have noticed this topic coming up more in our sport - we are seeing more and more women runners put time and thought into their appearance (cool racing kits, colorful shoes, hair accessories and makeup) which results in great looking ambassadors for the sport of running.

It doesn't have to be complicated and the morning of a race, we don't have a lot of time in the wee hours of the morning to think a lot about our beauty routine, so it's best to keep it simple:





I use these six products and it's all very easy to use:

After wash and moisturizer I use THIS foundation, THIS powder (It's doesn't have any color, so anyone can use - I love how light it is!), THIS cheek stain for a little pinch of color, THIS awesome mascara with a really cool brush, THIS lip balm, followed by THIS lip gloss.

(Note: there are no affiliate links here...  :)

A manicure is always so nice to have too - pretty nails to show off your shiny new medal! I don't know about you guys, but making the time for a manicure is one of my biggest challenges - when I do have time, I'd rather be doing something else, like getting a massage :). We all saw Shalane crush the NYC marathon in November, and how pretty were her bright red nails holding her well earned medal? Mental note: make time for a manicure...

Alright, let's dive into 2018 running fast and looking awesome - sound like a plan?

Do awesome things.

xo,
Natalie