It's all about the challenge....

Hey there! I've been quite busy and now that I'm off the road a bit and my training is in the taper phase - I'm realizing that balancing being successful on and off the trails is all about time management, rest, and completing your to-do list. I find that running when I'm tired does me no good. But, when I am rested and get out first thing...I find that I am way more productive the rest of the day. If I don't get out in the am than I am less likely to run or get in my work out the rest of the day. I absolutely love running when I am out there - but I think coming to the end of a full business year and the end of this particular training cycle, I am tired. So, my next challenges will be a few shorter races to keep me excited and motivated. Next week is my second 50K and I am a firm believer that it needs to stay fun to keep me goal oriented and keep that desire to continue to push me to that next level.

I will never be a sub 7:00 runner, so my long runs are almost double the time than faster runners. I have to work on speed work through the end of the year to get me running 4 hr marathons and 5 hour 50k's before moving to the 100k - 100m level. That's my first challenge to elevating me to the next phase.

My business continues to thrive and I love where my professional side is going. Teaching seminars at trade shows across the country, managing my reps and working with the coolest products in the gift and outdoor industry is both rewarding and challenging. Keeping these companies at the forefront of my reps and retailers minds takes persistence.

Challenging myself continues to be a daily dose of fun week after week. I hope you are working towards your next goal whether professionally or personally. There is nothing more wonderful than crossing the finish line or closing a sale! They both rock!

Thanks so much for reading.

Hills are only sometimes fun....

It's been over 8 months since I have run a 14 miler - boy did I make it tough on myself. If I had just ran the straight route - it would have been challenging, but not so darn painful. I ran over 5 miles of it in the NW hills of Portland... because I felt like "exploring." What the heck was I thinking?! Hills are only sometimes fun. Sure a 2 minute sprint - but 30 or 60 minutes of them are not. The houses were beautiful as this particular area is like the Beverly Hills of Portland. 2 bottles of water, a gatorade, a few sport jelly beans and a half of bagel later I finally hit my wall on mile 13. I literally had to walk...forced to walk. Thank goodness I bumped into the only friend I have here on my last mile and so the walk of pain was in short stride. Just letting her chat while walking her dog - definitely lifted my spirits. I think on future runs when I'm feeling depleted from a run that I'm going to call a friend and just let them talk to me. I really had to just laugh at myself. It's great though to tell people where you ran from and to and have them be really impressed. For me, I was happy to be back home in tact and in good spirits. The next day I was pleasantly surprised that my body is recovering better. Sure my hamstrings and quads were sore, but that was to be expected. My calves were really tight - but a good tight. I am happy I pushed myself seeing that I'll be running a 16 mile trail run on the race course this Saturday and I'm thinking that my last week exploration and hill repeats will start to pay off. I definitely need to incorporate more stretching - and get a massage at least once a month until the race. Today - I scheduled an easy 45 min. run - while tomorrow I'll have 6 mile trail run. Friday will be some core or yoga and Saturday will be a fun 4 hours! I've got 8 weeks and counting and am right on pace to have a great first 50K. My goal for that race is to finish and "walk the next day" to talk about it. That will be the payoff! FINISHING! Have a great day and thanks again for reading!

Keeping It Fresh

Definitely feeling the effects from the last 4 weeks of training. I'm just plain old tired. Not burnt out - just tired. Tomorrow I am running a 14-miler and I can only hope it goes smooth and pain free. My 5 miles of hills and stairs yesterday was fun - I'm glad that I was spontaneous and did those hill repeats seeing that the 50k will have a 3,100' elevation gain - so really hills now are going to be the bain of my existence. What is the classic term, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" That's my new mantra. In fact, running up this one incline yesterday - which turned out to be a 2 minute uphill battle - was truly heart pounding. I actually grunted out loud at one point. My calves are definitely more sore today then the usual flat runs I do 10+ miles. Hills definitely works those muscles in your glutes and calves to help give you power. Definitely the last mile home on the flats felt really great and I was moving faster, so that was fun! One thing that I've been adding to my normal fluid repertoire is filling one of my flasks with Gatorade and that has helped to keep my energy higher and I think is helping in my recovery too.

Evidently, one of the purest and most direct tools in developing “running strength” can only be gained by hill training. I read this somewhere and it's stayed with me. So here I am - adding in on my mid-week runs, more and more hills! All in all - I'm looking forward to tomorrows long run (finding a few hills) and possibly scheduling a body massage or in the very least a really nice foot rub in the near future.

I realize that keeping my work outs fresh is just as important as changing up my diet, and creating new mixes on my iPhone. It all plays a part in psyching me out so that I don't get bored and every week feels new and challenging! So, keeping it fresh is definitely a priority for the coming 9 weeks. Keep me in your thoughts and thanks again for reading!

One foot in front of the other...

Over the weekend while on my 12 miler, I'm listening to music and my heartbeat through my headphones. They are the noise reduction kind and all the sounds outside are quieted while music and my internal beat are directly in my ears. The interesting thing is it doesn't drown out my thoughts. That's where time stand stills for me. Knowing that I am on this run for the next 2-3 hours. Nothing else matters; not chores, my honey-do list, what we are doing for lunch. It is all about going from bridge to bridge. It's funny - the Run Keeper voice speaks every mile to me - but all that I'm thinking about is the next bridge. If I even pause to think about 12 miles - it is just too much for me to wrap my head around. I try to use only visual guides. This has been really helping me as I build my weekly mileage. Now, once I start on longer runs on trails - that might be a new lesson to be learned. I find that true with sales too. The visual goals are items we might want to own some day to keep us excited and incentivized as sales professionals. Just paying the mortgage, car payment and utilities might not keep us as motivated; but, a Hawaiian vacation might kick us into gear if a commission check could pay for the whole trip! Those visual guides are great - short term goals are a beautiful thing. There really is nothing better than accomplishing tasks - whether it's physical or professional. Both are so satisfying!

On my 12-miler my legs were really sore until that afternoon. Surprisingly though the next day I felt pretty good. Those are good signs that are showing me that I'm able to recover better after every long run. Downing chocolate milk after a tough workout can help replenish exhausted muscles and significantly aid exercise recovery, new research shows. So, I've been drinking a tall glass of either chocolate milk or carnation instant breakfast milk after those days. It is easy and quick - tastes great and while I'm in the shower, my body got the nutrients it needs to help it feel better.

As I continue to run and watch my intake - I find that I am craving more sugar lately. I want to eat Jelly Belly's and the occasional doughnut. I get that because I'm burning 2,000 cal in a single run doesn't give me the right to indulge... but it really keeps me excited knowing that at least once a week I can enjoy a meal I otherwise would have felt guilty about. I am drinking tons of water - as hydration is critical in recovery as is my multi-vitamin pack and getting my daily dose of proteins, fruits and veggies. Like for instance, as I type this I am eating a piece of low fat string cheese and apple slices. Trying to increase fruit as a natural sugar is a daily reminder than I make these choices and will pay for them on my runs. This food is fuel. When I don't I pay the price - my intestines do - then of course I do. Really pay attention to your body on your workouts, whatever your goals are. Keep it clean and keep one foot in front of the other! Have a great day and thanks again for reading!