Run Eat Tri Yogi

What an amazing running season!! I had planned on ending the year with my first 50M and write up a spectacular blog.  But then this race happened to come along less than a week later and I feel this is what I need to write about.  This race was all me. No friends to push me when it got hard. No one to give me those encouraging words during those tough miles. No jokes. Mostly silence. Back to how I started racing. Race day morning: 4:55am alarm “Why am I doing this again? How did it get to this (again?)” I had decided to sign up for the Glacial Trail 50K only 5 days after North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile race. It was my first 50 miler and it was exciting, painful, glorious… and painful. Did I mention it was painful? 12 hours, 33 min and 4 seconds of joking, singing and laughing. Oh, and running. I rode on that high for about a day or two before the post-race blues set in. I was done with the big race of the year. Now what?  I had to admit my condition when...

I had already written this blog in my head during this race but I really wanted to have the race photos well.  What I found was that it it continued to evolve while I waited. And waited... it took over a month and if you are a racer of any kind, you know what kind of torture this is!    So this is the first and only one that was uploaded. Are. You. Kidding. Me.   I was busy opening up my cocogo packet & hadn't even started running yet. And I already looked haggard and puffy. LOL But Pat, the race director, was phenomenal. She emailed me back (I had posted a short note on their FB page, hoping there were more to be uploaded) with a sweet note and more pictures! They are such a great organization!! Why did I do this in the first place? signed up for this 6 hour race to push myself mentally. I am all about sight and sounds during my runs - different sights and sounds, I should clarify.  The thought of doing loops for hours on end made me groan. But i...

If you've been paying attention to fitness memes or posters, you've seen them. "No excuses".  Makes me want to punch somebody.  It's a great idea, sure. If you work a perfect shift, have no kids, have unlimited financial resources... you get the idea. But for the rest of us normal folks, life happens .  If you have children, you know that even giving "4% of your day" to workout is a huge struggle.  Yes, I was able to find a meme that fit both of these in! I do agree that it is about priorities.  If it's important to you, you will find a way to make it work.  And this blog is to give you ideas on how to fit those workouts in. As a single mom, I've learned a few things along the way while training for my races. Whether it was my first 6K or a marathon, they all posed similar challenges.  My kids are my #1 priority and these are some of the ways I made my training work for us. Let's get right to it!  Today is a classic example. 1) Hav...

It seemed appropriate that I write up the overview of my first duathlon as I prepare for my 3rd annual anniversary 6k race -- the one that got me hooked on running & racing! Starting off my 2nd full year of racing with a new milestone is an amazing feeling! Now that the race is over anyway.  Honestly, I've been putting off writing this blog because I still want to remain on that post-race high and not relive the lows.  If you've never completed a duathlon, I hope this doesn't deter you in any way!  I will add my own little tips - simplest of guides for us newbies :) "This seemed like a good idea 2 1/2 weeks ago..." How many times have we shared the similar thought during a race? For me, I didn't look at the race in its entirety.  I saw that it was 3 mile run, 20 mile bike and a 2 mile run.  Piece of cake!  The 2 runs combined is an easy warm-up on my ultras!  And cycling came easy to me. Or so it seemed after 2 bike rides, with the hi...

Before I get into the blog, please realize I'm not lessening the pain of actual loss & grief of a loved one.  I've lost close ones and this isn't to poke fun at that process.  But I also believe that to an athlete, an injury is a serious process as well. It's painful and the future is unknown. And these stages are real.   After running marathons & ultras (peppered with small races) each month, my body gave out in Oct.  I made it through the Chicago Marathon but it was too late for me recover "smartly".  My body had had enough. I didn't recover after my previous races; I wanted to prove that I can go-go-go!! I took a full week off after Chicago and on my first run, I pushed myself (again) and tried to work on speed. That was it.  My knee gave out, ITB screamed and I was forced to limp back to my car. I figured that was fine... I'll be back in a day or two. Like before.  But seriously, that was it. The 5 stages of loss and grief* 1...

**UPDATE** Thanks to the generosity and amazing support of Be Non Human, I am confirmed to run the North Face Challenge WI - 50 Miler and RNR Vegas Marathon. I am so humbled by this and can't thank them enough for these opportunities.  I am truly blessed, thank you!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can't help but get giddy when I look at my list. And I've been looking at it for awhile... I'm so thrilled to attack new challenges this year!  I made a last-minute decision last night to sign up for a duathlon for later this month -- what a great start to the racing season, a new milestone!! This is not set in stone as I'm sure I may add on (yes, I'm already counting on it). All the dates in black indicate that I haven't signed up just yet.... my bank account insists I give it a break :) Hope to see you there! 4/26       Share the Road - Duathlon (Wat...

First things first, you guys ROCK!! So many of you helped celebrate my birthday by doing a virtual run with me #runninglikeafool - it was great knowing that I had some awesome company throughout the day. You guys motive me to push harder and I absolutely LOVE my running/IG/FB family~ you have no idea how much your support and encouragement means to me!  And as promised, I made cupcakes for all participants ;) I took a few days to summarize my birthday 6hr run/walk/bike. I even took time to transfer the photos from the old phone (I shattered it  - twice) and re size them... and as I was typing the last few words "I thought last year was epic - and in so many ways, it really was..." I immediately deleted my original blog. I knew what this post needed to be. I didn't spend one minute thinking of my past on my birthday, as I usually do on my long runs (running is therapy!) and instead, I was planning one race after another. How to train, how I can improve from last y...