It's Fund-racing time!

Last year I had a great time participating in the Rampy MS Research Foundation's Endurance Team while training for the Legends 70.3 race in Lawrence, KS.  The race wasn't my best race but thanks to the fund-racing efforts that I had done I had the extra motivation that I needed to finish the race in really tough conditions.

This year I signed up again for the Endurance Team and our team is training for the TriFest for MS races during Labor Day weekend.  I have done the TriFest for MS Trifesta for the last two years and it is a blast to race three triathlons during one weekend.  It's my local home race since I live just off the race course!

This week is the kickoff of our Endurance Team fundraising efforts.  I am working on some fun ideas for raising funds to support the efforts towards advancing the research for Multiple Sclerosis at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences through the Rampy MS Research Lab.  The foundation has donated over $210,000 to UAMS in the last four years!  Isn't that awesome!

I'm excited to get my training and fund-racing started.  I am working with a coach this year and it's fun and challenging to have someone else writing workouts for me.  The biggest challenge has been overcoming the obstacles that life and a full time job sometimes put in my way.  I would love to have your support and welcome any donations through my PureCharity site below.

Whitney's Team Endurance for MS Training Page

Trying out the Kettle Bells

A friend of mine recently recommended some workout programs that she does through her running coach.  Her coach has an online site called runsmartonline.com where anyone can access his workouts for a low monthly rate of $10.  The videos are about 30 minutes long and are designed by physical therapist and running gait specialist Steve Gonser to help improve form and function for runners.  My friend is an awesome runner and seems to have a very low injury rate so her recommendation carried a lot of weight to me.

There are several programs offered but the newest is called PRIME.  Prime is a kettle bell workout program that takes six weeks to complete and covers 12 workouts during those 6 weeks.  It's two workouts per week and they build during the program.

Last week was my first week on the program.  My first comments to my friend were "That was a lot of squats.  I can see how it will improve running strength through hips and glutes for sure."  She responded with...watch out it gets harder! I did that first workout on a Monday night.  By mid afternoon on Tuesday during a restroom break at work I got the first twinge of muscle soreness in my legs and glutes.  That soreness lasted until Thursday when it was time for day 2 of the program.  Day 2 was a totally different routine and seemed to cause less muscle soreness.

Last night, was Day 3 and whoa...the soreness came on within 12 hours.  The day 3 program involved lunges within three different planes...front, 45 degree, and side angle lunges.  Even though I'm only using a 5lb kettle bell it is enough to get my heart rate up on some of the exercises and definitely leaves me sweaty.

I'm enjoying that this program is form and technique focused.  Tell me in the comments what you are doing to improve your running form?  I'm building towards spring races and in my base phase want to work on getting stronger to prevent injury.

Here's a short bio on Steve Gonser the author of the workouts.  I love that Steve isn't perfect in the videos...he sometimes wobbles just like me when I'm doing the exercises at home.  I haven't seen him drop the kettle bells yet...not that I've done that...wink wink...but if I did or he did it would be totally understandable, right?!?!
Steve Gonser graduated with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Daemen College, instantly applying his knowledge of human movement and functional anatomy to his passion for running. Steve is a 2x Ironman, including a 10:41 finish in Lake Placid and a Sub-3 hour marathoner.

Back to the track - Dos and Don'ts

Tonight I headed back to the track for the Rush Hour Speed Workout.  Here are a couple quick tips for running with your local track workout group.

1) Arrive early to warm up.  Warming up is essential and everyone needs different amounts of warm up.  I prefer around a 1-2 mile warm up but know some who do 2-3 mile warm ups.

2) Follow the flow - watch the flow of your track just like you would when driving your car.  At our track, we warm up running in the outside lanes in a clockwise fashion.  Workouts are done in the inside lanes running counter clockwise.

3) Pay attention - think of the running track like a street.  Just like you need to pay attention to the other cars on the road, you need to be aware of the other runners around you and be courteous.  We have people that start the workout early and so you need to watch for them and try to give them the opportunity for an unimpeded workout.

4) Don't overstay your rest break.  This is one that I sometimes struggle with but the rest interval is set up to deliver specific benefits for each workout.  I wish every workout could have 1:30 - 2:00 min rest between each interval but some days 30 sec is all you get.

5) Know when to shut it down.  You will learn your body and learn what signals for you on when to shut down the workout.  No one wants to be a quitter but the workout will not benefit you if you aren't able to actually hit the goals.  For me, I will cut a workout short if I feel the sign of an injury.  Another thing that I pay attention to is my pacing.  If I start to struggle and can't hit the paces (and am getting slower) then I might adapt the workout to a shorter interval or drop it to a cool down shuffle.

6) Have fun! Find someone running your pace and form a pace group.  Cheer for others running...a good job from a fellow runner can be just the extra something that helps a runner hit their goal pace.  It's okay if you want to start an imaginary race with another runner...let that competition fuel you and thank them for helping you!

Tonight our workout was a classic ladder down with each interval getting slightly faster as the distances got shorter.

600m at 10K pace (600m is 1 1/2 laps on a 400m track)
30 sec rest
400m at 5K pace
30 sec rest
300m at faster than 5K pace
30 sec rest
200m at mile pace
1:30 rest

The goal was to do 3 sets of this ladder down.  Since I'm building back my mileage and fitness I did a modification of the workout with one ladder down and then ended with a 300m and 2x200m to finish.  My warm up was 1.6 miles and my workout was around 1.4 miles of speedwork.  During the rest break, I stood still to the side of the track.  I did a shuffle jog to cool down.  Next week I'll aim for a little more speed workout within the total mileage for the night.

Sunday Funday - Solo Style

This week was supposed to be the launch of my triathlon club's new Sunday Funday weekly swim session.  Unfortunately, our local community center had other plans for us.  The lap swimming pool was closed due to chlorine levels.  The center has a leisure pool with 2-3 lanes in it but it was overwhelmed with families and playing kiddos.

Lucky for me, I have a corporate gym facility with pool options.  I headed over to my gym to get my swim on but it wasn't the same without the rest of my training buddies.

Here's the workout that I did...keep it simple and fun!

Warm up - 1000 m
400 - free
300 - drills as 4 x 75 swimming in IM order, drill, free, drill
200 - pull
100 - kick

Main set - 1000 m
400 as 4 x 100 with 10 sec rest interval
300 as surging 75's - swim continuous and every 3rd length of short course pool swim as a surge
200 as 4 x 50 sprint/cruise swimming back stroke on the cruise length
100 as 4 x 25 swim from the middle of pool as a sprint into the wall and coming off the wall back into sprint with breath control

Cool down - 200 m incorporating stroke work

This incorporated my favorite warm up ladder and then utilized the same ladder concept to build a set with some variety.  It was good to get back into the pool after taking a little time off to rest after my TriFest for MS race weekend.  Going into that race, my hip was feeling tight and it just felt like I needed to take a little rest break.  I took two weeks off and my body and mind are ready to get back into training now.

Up next...laying out my Fall and Winter race plans.

I Tri to Encourage!

I've shared before on the blog how I am involved with the Rampy MS Research Foundation through the TriFest for MS training group as a volunteer coach.  This year I decided to get more involved and joined the Endurance Team to train for Legends 70.3 half iron distance triathlon in Lawrence, KS.

This week kicks off the National MS Week to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis.  Won't you join me in helping to raise funds to fight this disease.  See below for how to make a donation! Thank you for your contribution!!! I'll share more in the coming weeks as my training progresses...14 weeks to go!

Run with the Wind 2015 Race Recap

On Valentine's Day I participated in the Run with the Wind 25K in Carthage, MO.  This was my second year to run this race and first year to run from Carthage.  This race is unique in that they select the race starting point a few days before the race in order to provide the most tailwind!

The race runs on country roads between two towns outside of Joplin, MO...Carthage and Sarcoxie.  The high school in each town serves as the host for the race with open doors meaning real bathrooms!  A pre-race luxury compared to the typical pre-race porta potties.

We arrived in Sarcoxie for packet pickup around 7:45 which left plenty of time to catch a shuttle before the 9am start in Carthage.  The race offered free shuttle to the start so that you could leave your car at the finish.  We were on the last shuttle to the start and when we arrived I was surprised to see such a full house at the Carthage High School.  It was packed with over 200 runners.

Just a short while later we were heading out to the start line.  We set off just after 9am under bright and sunny skies.  I quickly realized I was overdressed for the weather.  The sun really warmed me up and I had to roll my sleeves up.  My friends and I wished each other well on our races and split up.

My goal for the race was to finish.  I had been fighting a chest cold all week and wanted to avoid any coughing fits.  I knew I needed to go slow and keep my heart rate down.  I quickly rediscovered that this race was hilly.  Somehow I had blocked the hills from my memory from the year before.  It was seriously hilly! None of the hills was too insane there were just frequent hills.

The race is measured for the mileage for the route from Sarcoxie to Carthage.  The mileage flags were placed in that order which meant that we were counting down the miles left to run instead of counting up the miles completed.

I made it through mile 10 before I starting feeling fatigued.  The temps were warming up and I realized that I was too thirsty.  I had a small water bottle with me and I broke it out between the final water stops and started to take multiple cups at those water stops too.  I really should have stopped to take off my long sleeve tee but I pushed along.  Around mile 11.5 I began to lose my strength against the fatigue and started to take walk breaks.  I was listening to my iPod and trying to coordinate my runs and walks to the songs.

The last several miles had a fun feature in that you could see the next mile marker flags off in the distance.  It made it tough to see the next mile...so close yet so far away at the same time.  I dug deep for the final mile and ran in towards the finish line.  The finish line announcer cheered me on after hearing my friends cheering for me.  I didn't finish as happy as I wanted...my legs and feet were sore and I was fighting to not break into a coughing fit.  I was disappointed in my fitness compared to the race the year before but in the end I finished the distance under difficult circumstances so I have to give myself credit for that.

Run with the Wind is a great small town race.  There is a great finisher medal and awesome long sleeve t-shirts this year.  The shuttle system that is provided is helpful for those of us from out of town.  I also really appreciate the 9am start time for a winter race.  It means getting up doesn't have to be quite so early in order to make the hour long drive to the start.  Registration was offered initially for a price of around $25.  Not bad at all!

Winter Finally Arrived for a Snowy Run

Friday afternoon I came out of a meeting and looked to the windows at the front of my building.  Things looked a little different but I wasn't sure what was going on until my coworkers started talking about how much snow was accumulating.  Somehow I had totally missed that snow was possible in the forecast!

The afternoon flew by as coworkers started to hustle home and by the time I was finally ready to head out, the road outside my building was a parking lot.  I hung out for a little while later and luckily my commute home wasn't too bad.  Unfortunately the city had decided that the weather did not look favorable for Saturday morning and they announced fairly early in the afternoon that the activity center would be closed on Saturday and thus our training group cancelled.

Our coach Mike posted that he would meet any who wanted for a run at 7AM from the square and so it was easy to motivate myself to head out on Saturday morning.  I got out my Yak Trax and began the trek up to the square.  It was pretty awesome to be the first one on the trail and be the one setting the tracks into the snow. I love snow runs...there is something just so peaceful and beautiful about running in snow.

I made it to the square at 7AM and lucked out in that the route was back towards home meaning I wouldn't have to rerun Crystal Bridges Hill again! We spread out and there were a few ladies behind me chatting away.  It took about a mile to get some separation between us so that I could be back in that quiet snowy solitude.  Normally I'm social on a group run but a snowy run seems to turn me into a big introvert.

I had some math challenges on this run...my Garmin was slow to sync up at the start so I started it a little way into my run.  My watch was behind my actual mileage which I just couldn't figure out.  I guessed at where my turn around should be and stopped to take a few pictures of some of the other runners to share on FB.  I also had to take a comparison shot of the trail showing what it looked like when it was just me on the trail versus after the Rush Running crew had passed through! We almost plowed the snow down there were so many footprints in the trail!

As I ran up the final hill to my neighborhood I noticed that my hair had frozen solid where it was outside of the beanie.  It cracked me up! I also noticed a perfect little snow ball attached to my shoe.  I'm not sure where it came from but it accompanied me for quite a bit of the 6.5 miles!

If you are nervous about running in the snow, here are some things to consider...
1) Yak Trax or True North will help you with traction.
2) Dress in layers and consider a shell jacket if it's still snowing.
3) Wool socks - I recommend Balega Trail Buster Quarter with wool
4) Leave your music at home and enjoy the sound of the snow...have FUN!!!

Training Runs with Run Bentonville

It's amazing how fast the time flies by...we are already half way through the training program for the Bentonville Half Marathon group.  Last week we tackled 8 miles for the weekly long run.  Waking up the temps were in that range of not too cold but not too warm.  The forecast high for the day was going be around 70 but around 7 am for our run it was still just 40 degrees.

Less than a mile into the run and I was warm and stripping off my fleece headband to try and get more comfortable.  Our route for the week was an out and back route that used the North Bentonville trails.  The paved trail is easy to follow and works great for a large group...not too many turns to get lost on!

The best part of the route ended up being our turn around.  It was marked by the world's smallest cone!

The second half of the run had gorgeous sunshine to keep us company and fun trail-side artwork to enjoy.  I couldn't resist stopping for a photo of the stained glass art piece.  It is one of my favorites especially when the sun hits it just right.

It's fun to train with the group and meet and talk with the participants.  It's really great to see them developing confidence to not only cover the distance but also tackle the Crystal Bridges hill.  That hill can be such a mental block and it's fun to see people take ownership of it.

After finishing up the run I headed home to a full to do list.  Before I could tackle that list though I had to snack on some olives. 

 I guess the extra sun and warmer temps had me sweating more than I realized since I was craving the salty marinated olives post run.  I got my snack in and then got to work getting my house cleaned and ready for the cookie party I hosted on Sunday.

Winter Skin and the Swimmer

Disclosure:  I am a SBR Sports Ambassador and receive product samples of TriSwim products.  All opinions are based on my personal experience with TriSwim products and I was not required to make this post or statements.

Earlier this week a Facebook friend commented on her wall that she was swimming more and noticed that her skin was getting dry and itchy.  I find that this is a common winter problem for the swimmer.
Chlorine is used to treat our pools and the effect that it has on the skin is that it removes the skin's natural oils causing dryness to occur.  It's really important to remove the chlorine from your skin following swims and I turn to TriSwim products for that purpose.  Lots of the feedback that she got on her post were on what types of lotions she should use but if you aren't neutralizing the chlorine the lotion can't do it's job!

TriSwim is a line up of products that includes shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion.  They all contain ingredients to neutralize the chlorine and also return moisture back to your skin or hair.  I have been using TriSwim for several years and some days it is my favorite part of my swims! The products have a light, citrus scent and feel wonderful.   The greatest thing about TriSwim is that it doesn't mask the chemical scent that you normally have after a swim in a chlorinated pool.  Instead, the formulas remove that scent entirely.

Winter is tough on your skin no matter what type of athlete you are but swimmers have to
think about chlorine in the mix too.  My routine use of TriSwim after all of my swims keeps my skin from getting dry and keeps me from smelling like the pool when I return to the office after lunch swims.  I'm not a big fan of lotions until after swimming...slippery pool buoys! After my swim I make sure to use lotion to return moisture to my skin and the TriSwim lotion is very light and non-greasy.

Don't let the winter air and the chlorine stop you from swimming.  Invest in a quality body wash and shampoo and keep your swim training in tip-top shape!

Here's the workout that we did on Monday to give you some swim inspiration to go with you new TriSwim products!

Warm Up - swim 400 - 850 (choice of stroke, kick, drills, etc.)
Set 1 - 500 yd ladder
25 - free on the :30
50 - free/back on the 1:00
75 - free, free, breast on the 1:20 - 1:30
100 - free on the 1:50
100 - free on the 1:50
75 - free, free, breast on the 1:20 - 1:30
50 - free/back on the 1:00
25 free on the :30

Set 2 - 8 x 75 on the 1:20

Set 3 - 6 x 50 on the 1:00

Cool down - 50
Total - about 1900 - 2300 depending on your warm up choice


You can find TriSwim at several online retailers and at SBR Sports web site.  Even better follow TriSwim on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on any specials that they are running.  

Friends make it warmer!

I'm lucky to again be volunteering with the Bentonville Half Marathon training program.  We meet every Saturday morning for our group long run while training for the race on March 28th.  It's a chance to run with 285 of my closest running friends!

This past Saturday was much like the week...cold...seriously cold!  There was plenty of Facebook taunting throughout the week as well as a little bit of education on how to properly layer for cold weather.  The group is a mixture of brand new runners and some that are more experienced plus all of the Rush Running volunteers.

The temps were brisk and yet it was a perfect morning.  Around mile one, I shucked off my gloves.  The sun was coming up by then and I always seem to have hot hands.  The way that our volunteer crew works is that we run with the group and as we hit turns or street intersections at least one volunteer stops until they are replaced by another.  Our goal is to try and encourage each and every one of the group members.  I got to cheer lots of people on for one turn and then 1/2 mile later got to also work the turn around point for our route.

It was so much fun to be the turn around...lots of people were pumped to see me and make the turn back to the start.  I finished up the route and then headed back out to help run in some of the others still out on the course.  Several other volunteers did the same thing and I have a feeling that our encouragement was appreciated.

I ended up with just over 6 miles with the training group.  I headed home and picked up my dog to get some extra miles.  My house is right off the route that the group had run so I was running on one of the same streets as just 30 minutes earlier.  However this time, without the group, the temps felt so much colder.  I don't know what it was but it really was a struggle.  I had to put my gloves back on and wipe away some cold tears.  Thankfully I got warmed back up and was able to get to about 9 miles total for the day.

It felt good to get my long run built back up and it was so much fun to hear members of the group be so proud of themselves for hitting their longest runs yet.  It is so much fun to give back to this group and in turn receive so much from each of them.

A Work in Progress

Something that impacted my blogging this Fall was the process of buying and selling my home.  I had wanted to live in another town closer to my office for quite some time and the time was finally right to make that move.  It took about two months to list and actually sell my house and once a contract was in place the time flew by.

I moved around Labor Day and dealt with moving the same weekend as racing three triathlons.  Yikes!!! Thankfully I have an amazing family and awesome sisters who helped me clean the house and unpack.  The next months were spent slowly making the house my home and finishing my training for my Grand Canyon Rim to Rim adventure.

When I returned from finishing Rim to Rim I quickly got absorbed in my job with a hectic schedule that left me little time for much else.  The problem with this was that since October I had been trying to find the time to meet with my contractor to discuss flooring options for my home workout room.  This was one of the rooms that I was most excited about with my new house...a room just for my gym stuff.  Even better bonus was that my sister's treadmill was moving into my house too.

The house came with horrible carpeting that I replaced on move in day.  I was undecided on the gym room so that was the only room still with the original carpeting.  Fast forward to a few weeks before Christmas and discussing my wish list with my sister.  I told her that my big wish was for someone to coordinate my contractor for me since it is so hard to get away from the office to meet him.  And she did just that...she arranged for him to meet me on a vacation day after New Year's and I was able to finally get quotes and start arranging to have the flooring replaced.

It won't be done for a few weeks but tonight I got my bike set up and did my first trainer workout in my gym room.  I'm still working on hanging the motivation wall.  I need a few more race photos to go with the motivation quotes and I especially need to get a Grand Canyon photo printed to go with a cool Rim to Rim sign my parents got me for Christmas.

Here's the before and hopefully by February I'll have an after photo!  This is a panoramic photo taken while riding the bike trainer.

Girls on the Run 2014 Race Recap

One of my favorite races to run in is the annual Girls on the Run race held in November.  One of my friends, Pauline coordinates the volunteers for packet pick up so I always make room in my schedule to work the night before during the pick up.

My niece joined me to volunteer too this year.

Volunteering for races is a great way to give back to the sport.  It takes a lot of man hours to put together a great race and this is one of our biggest races in the area.  The Fall program of Girls on the Run culminates with the participants running in this 5K race.  There are several chapters of GOTR at various schools throughout Northwest Arkansas and they all come together for this 5K.

This year was the 10th anniversary of the race and the organizers had special finishers medals made to commemorate the anniversary.  One of my volunteer tasks was to unwrap each of these medals.  Let's just say...it took about 18 minutes to unwrap 100 medals and I spent several hours working with 1-3 others at times doing this.  The next day when I completed my race I had extra special appreciation for the medal!

Spotted during packet pickup was one of my favorite blog lurkers! My friend Mark showed up to visit his wife, our packet pick up volunteer coordinator, while I was working.  Mark and I have a running joke on what will it take for him to make it on the blog.  So here he is in all his goofiness!  I always enjoy training with Pauline and Mark and we have done lots of races together.

Race morning was cool, slightly damp, but otherwise perfect running weather.  My sister, brother-in-law, and niece were working one of the water stops and it was awesome to have a personal cheering section along the course.  I can't wait until my niece is old enough to participate in Girls on the Run.  The course was new this year for the 10K and overall wasn't too bad.  It took me about two miles to settle into my pace and get warmed up.  I was disappointed to see that a volunteer crew had neglected to show up to work a water stop around mile 4.5.  I really wanted water then but the cool weather allowed to keep on trucking.

I came into the finish and was excited to receive my medal.  I put my long sleeve top back on and then joined a friend for a cool down run.  We ran out part of the 5K course and saw the overall leaders flying back to the finish.  After our cool down, we watched and cheered on the rest of the 5K'ers.  We were watching for a Rush Running teammate's daughter and wife to finish.  It was his daughter's first 5k race.  It is such a thrill to see a child's face light up when they realize that you are cheering for them and Grace's face lit up when we cheered her on to the finish.

Cheering on 5K'ers to the finish

After the 5K was over, my friend and I walked over to check results and surprisingly I had placed 3rd in my age group for the 10K.  She had also placed in her age group so we found the awards tent and claimed our medals.  Overall a great race and a good time spent volunteering and encouraging others.

12 Days of 25's Christmas Swim

It's December 22nd and I can't help but look for some ways to incorporate the holidays into my workouts.  Today was a lunch time swim.  I arrived at the pool before any of my friends and dug into my gear bag for a copy of an old 12 days of Christmas swim.

The swim totaled 1950 yards which was the perfect distance for a lunch swim.  I went ahead and got started and then my friends joined in later when they arrived. The workout works down a ladder in increments of 25 yards based on whatever day you are on...12 to 1.

12 x 25 = 300 yard warm up swim
11 x 25 = 275 done as 3 x 75 with stroke in the middle, plus 1 x 50 free/stroke
10 x 25 = 250 done as 5 x 50 fast with 10-15 sec recovery
9 x 25 = 225 done as 3 x 75 with stroke in the middle
8 x 25 = 200 done as 200 pull
7 x 25 = 175 done as drill/kick/swim/drill/kick/swim/drill
6 x 25 = 150 done as 3 x 50 on min
5 x 25 = 125 done as a build within getting faster each 25
4 x 25 = 100 done as 100IM
3 x 25 = 75 done with stroke in the middle
2 x 25 = 50 done fast
1 x 25 = 25

There's a lot of variety in this workout and you can easily modify it if you don't like to incorporate strokes into your swim sets.

My favorite swim gear company SBR Sports is offering a fun giveaway this holiday season.  It's a countdown to 2015 and every day they are giving away an awesome prize including great product like TriSwim and TriSlide.  You can follow along via the SBR Sports Instagram feed and enter at the link given each day.

http://instagram.com/sbrsportsinc/

http://sbrsportsinc.com/sbrcontestentry.html

Winter is coming...do you have your Yaktrax?

Yesterday our forecast included the first prediction of snowfall for the season.  The snow began around midday with beautiful flurries.  They didn't last long and sadly there wasn't much accumulation.

I was out running errands when the snow started and I stopped by a friend's house.  Her husband was just returning from my favorite running store, Rush Running (one of the top 5 running stores in the country!)  Jon had been in to the store to pick up a pair of Yaktrax for Lori.  Another friend had gone in earlier and texted them that the store was down to just one pair of Yaktrax left.  They are on a marathon training plan and their friend was telling them that snow wouldn't be an allowed excuse for missing any runs on the training plan!

Some runners had gotten smart this year...at the first sign of snow in the forecast they had gone to the store and picked up a pair.  Usually what happens is we get snow and then sales of Yaktrax increase as people realize that we live in the South and it takes awhile for the snow to get taken care of if the temps don't warm up after it snows.

I first heard about Yaktrax a few years ago.  And like most runners I thought, "Nah, I don't need those."  I think that was one of our snowy and icy winter years and I was stuck at home for several days in a row.  Getting out onto the icy roads was tough since I didn't have anything to keep my running shoes from slipping on the ice.  Lesson learned...I ordered snow boots and some Yaktrax soon after that.  Wouldn't you know...it didn't snow again that year!

Here's a photo example of the icy conditions that you can cover with your Yaktrax!
And one of my favorite pics of running with my dog!

Since that winter, I have used my Yaktrax several times a year whenever we have snowy and icy road conditions.  We have hard-working road crews but it is just hard to work snow removal in the South when it just doesn't snow all that often.  Yaktrax keep me from going stir-crazy when I'm stuck at home due to the snow.  I might not be able to drive on the icy roads but with Yaktrax I can safely run! They are super simple...you just pull them on over your shoe.  They fit snugly and I've never had issues with them coming loose from my shoes.  If I run into clear roads I simply remove them and carry them until the road gets icy again.  Our road conditions truly vary depending on where it is and whether or not that section of the road receives sun and or multiple visits by the road department.

The concept for Yaktrax came from the sherpas in the Himalayas.  Yaktrax are made of a patented coil traction device that attaches onto your existing shoes.  There are so many different options based on the type of activity that you are going to participate in from walking to running.  I have the original design which is now referred to as the Walk style.  The run style contains carbide steel spikes in addition to the traditional coil system.  It also has a strap system to ensure it stays put on your shoe.

The makers of Yaktrax contacted me and offered to provide a pair of Yaktrax to one of my readers.  Please enter the Rafflecopter below to be entered.  The giveaway will run through November 26th and I'll announce a winner shortly after it closes.  Good luck and hope you get your runs in regardless of snowy weather this winter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not provided any compensation in exchange for my review of Yaktrax.  I purchased mine and agreed to share a review and giveaway with my readers based on my own experience with the product.

Returning to Spin Class

Years ago I was a frequent attendee to spin class during my lunch break.  Several of my coworkers went to the same gym and it was like we had a spin class club.  The gym that we went to underwent some ownership changes and we all eventually selected new clubs.  After that I struggled to find a spin class that fit my schedule as well and I started to get in spinning through trainer workouts.

At the same time, one of my running buddies has had a lot of knee issues.  She took up spin class as an alternative to running.  Over the summer we did a deep water running class together and I remembered how much I miss getting to hang out with my buddy doing runs together.  After finishing my Grand Canyon training I decided to check out the class schedule for our gym.

I reached out to my friend and signed up for the spin class that she takes.  The class is at o'dark hundred or 5:10 on the real clock! Holy moly that is super early for me!  So far I have mixed feelings on the class.  The teacher isn't the easiest to follow...her cues aren't always clear and her class seems one dimensional.  There is little variation from class day to class day which is disappointing.  The music changes for each class but the general class content seems to be about the same.  The class also seems to have regulars and that is who the instructor teaches to versus the entire room.

This class session runs until mid-December so I'll keep at it for the rest of the session.  I think I might have gotten too used to riding on my bike trainer where I can control the music or entertainment and the workout.  Hopefully with time I'll rediscover my love of spin class!

Who says swimmers have green hair???

Here's a quick video blog that I made a few weeks ago after returning to work from a lunch time swim.  Don't mind the goggle rings still faintly visible around my eyes and the lack of makeup!

I love Triswim products and use it after every swim.  The shampoo, conditioner, and body wash all have a light citrus scent and a rich lather.  I love that I leave the gym not feeling itchy or smelling like the pool.  Regular products don't get the same results and that's why I stick with Triswim!

I hinted about my swimming schedule in the video.  This week has been an off week for me...work has been jam-packed with meetings and projects and I just haven't had the time to get away at lunch for a swim.  Let me tell you...I miss the pool! My head misses the pool and my body definitely misses the pool!  It is one workout that just takes care of all of me and I can't wait to get my schedule back in line so that my lunch workouts are back on.

Before and After... The long run

Our Grand Canyon training plan included a long run of 5 hours on trails a few weeks ago.  My longest run time wise prior to this was 4 hours at the War Eagle Trail Run 25k.  Distance wise my longest run was just the 25k which I had done in both a road race and trail race.

Here's are some quick pics we took before and after the run.  

Before

After- pointing towards the West and the Grand Canyon! 

The run went really well and I ended up with 19 miles covered in the 5 hours. We run/walked through out.  I snacked on Feed Zone pizza rolls which I really enjoyed. I mixed up my nutrition drink and accidentally made them way too weak thus not getting many liquid calories but staying hydrated.  Overall a great learning experience. 

Birthday Hill Repeats

Six years ago I celebrated my 30th birthday with hill repeats with the Rush Running crew.  This year showed that very little had changed.  On Saturday, my birthday, I was up early to meet the Grand Canyon crew for 15 miles of hill repeats.  

We headed to Old Dump Road and the 1/2 mile hill that we would truck up and down 11 times. 

The hill is a gravel road with varied grade along it.  The hill ends at the highway overpass and a short section of pavement.  It was nice to do repeats as a group since everyone could go there own pace and still encourage each other. 

I kept track of the repeats by carrying a rock up on each incline. I ended with a nice pile on the highway overpass that signaled the top of the hill. 

When we were finished with the repeats we still had the 2 mile run back to the start to complete our 15 miles. It was good prep for our Grand Canyon trip and I definitely earned some birthday treats! 

We Tri for Encouragement

I am super honored to be a volunteer coach for the TriFest for MS triathlon training group.  This is a training series that triathletes can sign up for to train for the TriFest race series.  The series begins in mid-July and meets once per week in the weeks leading up to the race.  Midway through the sessions we conduct a mock-race for the participants.  The goal is to give everyone a chance to do a practice run and get more comfortable with triathlon and combining sports before race day.

Below are a couple photos captured during the mock-race last week.  After cheering on all the participants in the swim and getting everyone out onto the bike course I moved to the bike and run course to continue encouraging.  When I was on the run course I realized I was on the only incline for the course.  I had fun cheering the participants on in this section and even ran with a few.

In these photos, I was distracting Ashley with the funny story of how impossible it is to do math during a race.  It was good to get her laughing and then send her on her way towards the finish with a smile.

And probably one of my favorite photos from the night was this one of me and my friend Aly goofing off as we made our way onto the bike course to cheer and encourage.

Aly is one of the official coaches for the program and is so knowledgeable about racing.  I learn as much from her as I'm sure the participants in the program are learning.  I'm pretty lucky to call her a friend and I know the participants in the program feel pretty lucky to call her coach!

While the TriFest training series is closed for this year, you can still sign up for the races at www.researchms.org.  I'll be racing the TriFesta! Big thanks goes to Chuck Cates with Podium Images for these photos.

Speeding Up Breakfast with Country Choice Organic

Disclosure:  I was provided samples by Country Choice Organic to facilitate this review.  All opinions are mine based on my experience using the products.

I'm not sure if I was as big of a fan of oatmeal as a child as I am now as an adult.  I remember eating it growing up so I think I was.  We always had oatmeal with brown sugar, raisins, and milk and I still love this flavor combination.  About a year ago, I received an electric pressure cooker from my mom.  With this new appliance I discovered how easy it was to make steel cut oatmeal.  I made it a few times for some family breakfast get togethers but it wasn't quite easy enough to be part of my everyday routine.  (Too much cleanup after using the pressure cooker!)

The cafeteria at my office serves oatmeal but it is loaded with brown sugar which I'm sure negates many of the health benefits.  The health benefits of oatmeal have always appealed to me since cholesterol is something that I have to watch pretty closely.  If you are wondering what the differences are between quick cooking and steel cut oats, here is a short infographic from Prevention to clear up the differences.

Steel cut oats win ever so slightly in the battle but they take longer to cook.  Imagine my surprise when I heard that Country Choice Organic had perfected steel cut oats as Instant Oatmeal single serve microwave packets.  Woohoo...how exciting.  Microwave oatmeal is an easy breakfast option and it's great to have the option to choose steel cut oats.


Preparation of the Country Choice Organic Steel Cut Oats was super simple. I selected a deep square microwavable container.  You add 3/4C plain water to the packet and mix in your container.  It takes just 2 1/2 minutes on high to microwave and then about 2 minutes of resting time.  Each packet has about 150 calories for the Apple Spice flavor with 4g protein and 2g fat.  The ingredient list is easy to read and contains no crazy ingredients which is nice.  I personally loved the Apple Spice flavor and didn't add any additional toppings or mix ins to it.

It's great to have the option to make steel cut oats via the microwave before work versus having to pull out the pressure cooker and all that takes.  You can find Country Choice Organic Steel Cut Oats via Amazon or check your local grocery store.