Feature Friday: 2023 Fitness Goals

It’s a few weeks later than I wanted to write this, but such is motherhood of two 1 year old twins. Our doctor the other day described having twins as something like an assembly line and I couldn’t agree more. If one part of our assembly line is out of order, then everything is askew. We get a baby up, dressed, downstairs in their highchair for breakfast- rinse and repeat. If one doesn’t get dressed or needs something extra, then we’ve got to completely pivot our assembly line (I guess this has really helped to let go of my type-A tendencies because things are ALWAYS changing with two littles). Anyways, this is all for me to say that I’m hopeful for us to make another 1-hour roadtrip to Trader Joes next week because I really need some vanilla Joe Joe’s.

I also had my longest bike ride ever (thank-you Peloton and Daycare days), 18.37 miles! So, this brings me to one of my goals for this year (and I’m equally terrified and SO DANG excited)- a Half Ironman! I’m doing the Maine 70.3 Ironman at the end of July and I can’t wait. The swim course is down river (which I’m most excited about because anything to help me get through that 1.2 mile swim) and the bike course (55 miles) seems challenging, but I’ll hopefully be ready. I’m also doing the Maine Cancer Foundation Tri For A Cure again in mid-July- this was such a fun sprint tri and I think it will be nice to ‘get my feet’ wet and have a little tune-up before the big race. Excuse my blurry post-treadmill run picture.

I’m also hoping to run a speedy half marathon this June at the Covered Bridges Half Marathon. I don’t think I’ll be in PR shape (nor will the course be PR-friendly with a lot of hills), but it’s close to home and has been on my bucket-list. I’d love to still break 1:40 in the half someday, but that probably will be next year or in 2 years if I’m being realistic. Izzy isn’t quite ready for me to run that fast either (actually- she was totally fine in this picture she just really hated that bow I placed on her for a quick Valentine’s Day pic).

Last, but not least- I’m hoping to do TWO MARATHONS this Fall! One, will be my goal race and the other one is going to be a goal of SO MUCH FUN. I’m back to doing the Wineglass Marathon this October. I loved this race and thought they put so much thought and effort into every detail that I had to go back again. Then, I’m doing a complete bucket-list marathon- the NYC Marathon and I’m fundraising for Every Mother Counts (look to me doing another post about this amazing organization soon). I cannot wait for it to be Fall, but also I’m very much looking forward to this Summer too! Charlotte also cannot wait until Summer when she can play in her sink (or well- sit in it) outside rather than inside with a sweater.

We’re in another second (or maybe third) round of winter weather, but I’m hopeful that Spring is really actually coming. I love the warmer weather days, the smell of Spring, planning of our garden, and not wearing a million layers if you want to go outside for a run (very thankful for treadmills these days). I’ve got my first race of the year on tap tomorrow (Shamrock Shuffle 5k) and I can’t wait. I did this race last year (newly off of the Fourth Trimester) and it was so much fun. I love a good local race and it starts at noon time (yay for getting extra playtime with the girls in the morning beforehand).

• Anyone going to be at any of my goal races this year?!? Let me know!

• What are your fitness goals for the year? How do you like to line-up your races? All at once or one for each season?

• Favorite Trader Joe’s items? Vanilla Joe Joe’s. SO DANG GOOD.

Feature Friday: Why Take A Rest Day?

Happy Friday! This is basically like my Sunday, since I have to work for the next four days so I’m taking advantage of the day off and trying to get as many chores done as possible. I like to get all my meal prep and clothes laid out in the morning so I can have the rest of the day to do fun things (like running or reading)! My body is TIRED from my 19.5 mile long run yesterday, so I’m very much looking forward to my rest day tomorrow. I am NOT looking forward to losing an hour of precious sleep Sunday morning (since I already get very little sleep between my shifts), but it will be so nice for it to be lighter out later in the evenings. YAY for longer days ahead.

So, why are rest days important each week? They allow your body time to recovery, replenish, ‘fill its tank’ for the week ahead, and adapt to the previous weeks training load. If you never take rest days (I.e. very gentle movement), then you’re putting your body at an increased risk for injury or burn-out.

Everyone’s body is different, so some can run everyday of the year and never get injured, but it’s also important to recognize that they are probably also running at a wide range of speeds to give their body the necessary time it needs to adapt and get stronger. When we rest, our muscles rebuild the fibers that slowly get broken down during harder/longer training runs. I like to think of it as we’re stitching our body back together.

It’s good to get some movement in your body during rest days- like walking, yoga, light cycling, gentle stretching, or swimming to help stimulate the blood flow to your muscles (helps repair them faster), but listen to your body. Sometimes I really just need a day of total ‘nothingness’ and that’s OK! Over time, you’ll come to know your body better and be able to recover from your workouts more efficiently.

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—How do you like to spend your rest days?
-Favorite cross-training activity?

Feature Friday: Strength Training Consistently

Happy Friday! I can’t believe that we’re already into March. It honestly still feels like January to me (probably because it has FELT like January here the past few days), but I can’t wait to start to see green grass and wear shorts on my runs! Flashback to sports bra running weather 😍

I wanted to share with you some of my tips that worked for me to consistently strength train. It always used to be ‘that thing’ that I skipped or only did 10-15 minutes of because I was much more focused on getting all those miles in. It was when I started training for my 50 miler that I started to get really serious about my strength training AND consistently switching up the exercises/ weight that I was doing.

Within a few months of committing to these two things (also spending 2-3 days a week on strength training with 20-30 minutes at a time), I started to notice some really huge differences. I noticed I was stronger on my runs. I could power up hills that I previously couldn’t do.

I also started to feel leaner. This definitely didn’t happen overnight and it probably took almost a year for me to start noticing these differences, but they started to come!

Some things that I found helpful when I wanted to really implement my strength training routine:

• Do strength before running. I’m much more likely to skip it afterwards.
  

• Commit to doing it for 10-15 minutes two times a week.
  

• Drink enough water before and afterwards.
  

• Try virtual classes! I’m really into Pelotons strength workouts.
  

• Try Pilates or Barre. They’re fun and an awesome full-body workout.
  

• Book a session or two with a personal trainer. They’ll help show you workouts to get started with and help you have good form.
  

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-What tips for you have to add in more strength training consistently?

-Tips for fitting it in around higher running volume?

Feature Saturday: Why Self-Love?

As someone who’s struggled with loving myself and TRULY BEING CONFIDENT in everything I do, it’s hard to not want to ‘slip into my old ways’ or compare myself to others. To ‘downplay’ myself or my accomplishments or think ‘wow, that person is so great and totally on another level than me’- it’s so easy to do that, but you know what’s even better? Building yourself UP! It’s super hard for me to do, but wow am I HAPPIER when I consistently do this.

I know that this is something that I will probably ALWAYS struggle with, but consistently building myself up will help me make it easier to deal with those emotions/negative thoughts. You know what also helps? Being realistic with myself and knowing my true core values (and then asking myself, ‘does ‘x’ really help align me with those values?’).

For example- I know I want to really focus on my finances this year. Saving, dropping extra $ into my student loans, and spending less. So, when I get sucked into wanting to spend extra money on frivolous ’wants’ - I either transfer that amount of money that I would have spent on something unnecessary or put it towards one of my student loans! This is one of the ways that I’m showing up for myself and honoring my core values (also- it’s giving myself self-love).

Self-love doesn’t always have to be about exercising/eating healthy/ checking items off of your to-do list- it can also be NOT doing those things, saying ‘no’ to extra activities, getting extra sleep, listening to your inner gut, or taking a first step towards a new career or life goal. It also doesn’t have to be fancy!

We’re trying to save money for a house, so rather than spend over $200 on lift tickets- we’re honoring our values and goals and going skiing later in the day and spending less than $80 on lift tickets! Is it exactly what we wanted? No. BUT it will help us get towards our bigger goal.

-Tips for showing yourself some self-love?
-Tell me how you’re honoring your core values lately?

Feature Friday: Home Gym Essentials

Happy Feature Friday on a Saturday! You know how somedays you’re just really not into doing certain things- well, that was me yesterday. I got through some chores/things on my to-do list and then I just really wanted to lounge on the couch and do nothing. SO, I did just that. I think sometimes I get into such a mindset that I need to ‘go go go’, when in reality-> it’s OK to not do everything on your to-do list. If you did everything on your to-do list in one day, then what would you have to look forward to tomorrow? I would (most likely) make another to-do list. ANYWAYS- enough on my tangent. I wanted to share with your some of my home gym essentials that I LOVE to have at my disposal (and there are still a few things that I definitely want). Now that most of the fitness centers around me are closed, I’ve slowly started to incorporate my favorites weights/foam rollers/tools to have at my disposal. No affiliate links here- just sharing what I love to hopefully help inspire someone else to continue to build their tools!

• Foam Roller - love to use this to massage my IT band, back, glutes, quads

• Massage Ball - love to use this to massage out my feet and calf muscles

• Resistance Bands- use them to help warm-up my glutes and legs before a run!

• Floor Sliders- I use these for SO much (they slide well on a Yoga Mat). Lunges, skaters, planks on my knees with pushing one arm out at a time..

• Pilates Ball- I use this to help engage my core. Donkey Kicks, between the legs for bridges or clam shells, behind my low back to help me engage the c-curve in my spine..

• Free weights- These have certainly been hard to come by during the Pandemic (and I’m still looking for relatively inexpensive heavier weights), but they are great to add to your collection!

• Ball- Love to do hamstring curls on this one.

• Treadmill- OK, this one is definitely only if you need one/ will use it often, but we LOVE our Nordictrack so so much. I never thought I would look forward to running on a treadmill, but ours is so sturdy and fun and I love to run fast on it.

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Any other favorite home gym equipment essentials that you love?