What My Off-Season Actually Looks Like

We’re deep into the off-season around here, so I thought I would ‘normalize’ what the off-season looks like for me! I’m certainly NOT running all the miles, nor am I lounging on the couch everyday. I still love to be active, but those activities look different than when I am in the ‘thick’ of training for a race. I took 11 days off of running after my half last month and then I really started to crave a run, so I went out for a short 35 minute run. I wanted to wait until I was really wanting to run again and if that took me several weeks, I was totally OK with that. I think it’s just as important to give your mind a break, as well as your body. During those two weeks, I wasn’t doing nothing- I did a lot of yoga and used my peloton bike (thanks to these two cuties for playing well when I did want to get in a quick bike session)!

I also started adding back in strength training after 7 days off of running and started with much lighter weights than what I previously used during marathon training. I think I started with 10 and 15 pounds, rather than 15 and 25 pounds. I also enjoyed other things too! I love taking the dog for longer walks and baking more. Homemade bagels from this recipe is what I’m loving right now.

I’ve also used this time to check-in with a PT (virtual sessions from here are a total game-changer), as well as working on my running form. I’ve been sleeping in more, working out during nap times or while the girls play and enjoying other activities too. I’ve painted the girls closet and cleaned areas of the house that have been neglected for way too long (oops). I purposefully wanted to give my body time to rebuild and get stronger before going back into marathon training, so a late June race sounded like the perfect time table.

I am definitely a happier person when I’m able to escape outside in the mornings though (ask Alex if you don’t believe me…), so I’m missing that part of the training the most, but the break from my routine is necessary for me to put everything into the next training cycle. Getting up early to work-out downstairs in our home gym just isn’t the same. The girls wake-up early and if I know that they’re awake, I’m much less likely to finish my workout because I want to see them (mornings are my favorite hour with them ; ) …). I also have NOT been restricting my nutrition during the off-season. I’m still enjoying all the things, but also being conscience of what makes me feel best. I don’t feel great if I eat a ton of processed foods or if I go 4+ hours between meals, so I do what makes me feel best, but I’m also approaching it with flexibility. This approach has really helped me decompress from the intensity that I approach marathon or half marathon training with!

Alex and I also escaped for a long weekend in NYC for a family wedding and it was amazing (mostly- the food and getting away for the weekend)! I also went to a live peloton class (Olivia Amato’s 45min Pop Ride), which was SO fun!

• How do you decompress after a long training season?

• Favorite activities or things to eat when you’re in the off-season?!

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.

I'm BACK TO DO IT AGAIN.

You know those things where you’re thinking to yourself ‘gee, well I MIGHT be a bit crazy, but 'WHY NOT?!?’’ - that’s me most of the time. Ha. And I suppose this latest new goal basically solidifies my craziness.

I’ve signed up for a 100 miler on August 14th, 2020. And my big goal? Do it in 24 hours.

Oh, and my other big goal? Fundraise some money for my favorite non-profit, MS Run The US because well, why not?

Once I committed to training for my first 100 miler, I thought back to my Relay experience in 2018 and how amazing of an experience it was to run for more than just me. Running is a very selfish sport (you have to take hours upon hours to train away from your family/friends!) and running a 100 miles just because didn’t seem right to me. I wanted it to be more than just running 100 miles in 24 hours- I wanted to connect with my new community, meet others who have been impacted by MS, and draw upon these experiences during my 100 mile race.

I’d love to say that my big goal is to again fundraise $10,000, but that most likely is not possible given my very busy student schedule these next 6 months (ahem- HOW is it already only 6 months away?!?). BUT I want to see if I can get to $1,000 (maybe $10 from 100 people) and who knows beyond that. I have a few different fundraising ideas and hopefully can get those in motion within the next 3-4 weeks.

I have my fundraising page up here and also have a Facebook fundraiser page as well if that is easier for you to donate.

Maybe you’re unable to donate, but want to help me reach my goal in another way? AWESOME! I’d love to have anyone jump in with me for a few miles (it’s a 2.6 mile loop course - race website is here), help me with my fundraising campaign (help me get the word out- share it with co-workers, friends, family members), or come support me during my race!

It also happens to start the same day that the 2020 MS Run The US Relay Team finishes the entire relay in New York City! Coincidence? Maybe. But I’ll take whatever signs I can get.

SO, that’s a new update from me and I promise I’ll start sharing my training recaps on Wednesdays beginning next week because not everyone trains for 100 miles and shares how they get it all done!

2020- Goals for The Year

Happy New Year! I hope you had a safe and happy start to the new decade. I cannot believe that we’re now in 2020- doesn’t that seem so futuristic?!? Our wedding plans are in full swing- we’ve settled on the location, date, I have my dress, we have our DJ, we will be finalizing cake choices this week, finalizing flower options tomorrow, registry will be complete shortly, and picked out our photographer! We also have a dinner tasting at our venue tomorrow night to decide on what our two entree options for our guests will be (we most likely already know what they will be, but it’s going to be fun to go test it out!).

I have almost all of my races for the year planned out and am so excited to be getting a RUNNING COACH at the end of the month! I’ve decided that this is the year of ME- more confidence, more goal-setting & crushing, more following my gut, going into things with less hesitation. I’m putting my head down, working hard, and know that I won’t always have these opportunities (I am getting older too- yikes! 30 is just around the corner!).

SO, here are my unfiltered goals for the year. I keep them written in my planner so I can easily look back at them, check-in, and keep track of what I’ve accomplished!

Fitness Goals:

• Run a 100 miler (cat’s outta the bag on this one!)

• Run a sub 1:40 half marathon (carrying this one over from last year)

• Run a sub 3:28 marathon (carrying this one over from last year)

• Do 10 unassisted pull-ups in a row

• Check off one new race state

Hobby Goals:

• Read 25 books (for pleasure)

• Grow my blog to a larger audience

• 2k followers -> twitter & instagram

Life Goals:

• Become more social -> join a running group!

• Get married! YAY

• Speak up more & research when unsure of something -> nursing school has really helped me with this one already

Money Goals:

• Begin saving for building our own house (someday!)

• Begin saving for a new car

• Start retirement fund (I know, I know…totally behind on that one!)

School Goals:

• Above 3.5 GPA for Spring & Summer 2020 Semesters

• Pass NCLEX 1st time & become an RN (September)!

• Get a job in a critical care unit

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-What are your goals for the year?

-Where do you keep your goals written down and how do you like to separate them out?

-Anyone have experiences with running coaches?!? ONLY good ones I HOPE!

Race Recap, Life Updates, and What's Next?

I’M BACK! Life has been absolutely crazy these past 5 weeks including 6 final exams, a 10k race, goal setting for the Fall, and researching a million different wedding venues.

You can find my Beach to Beacon 10k Race Recap HERE.

It’s also included a whole lot of ice cream because- SUMMER. Maine/New Hampshire friends -> Sherman’s Farm is a MUST for both ice cream and fresh veggies/ produce. Such a nice little New England luxury we have so close to home!

I’ve also been brainstorming a lot on what my next goals for running are. I love a good challenge, so I decided to take my next ‘big thing’ to train for to my social feeds and the result was…unexpected…scary….exhilarating to think about!

SO I’ve been researching 100 mile races and tentatively might have found one. Still deciding, but it’s also been pretty fun to break out my road bike and get in some cardio in a different aspect of training too.

I really like the idea of doing an ironman, but also really love the idea of trying to complete a 100 miler. I already have everything I need for the 100 and I could do the same 50 miler I did this year as a good training part for the 100. I’m still debating it, but thinking my ironman dreams may be going on the back burner for a little bit.

Speaking of going on a back burner - that also includes Netflix, casual reading (unless the 3 pages I make it through before bed), and cooking from scratch has all been put on the back burner as well. I’ve been all about studying, schoolwork, teaching skating, and trying to still move in to our house in my spare time! I’m down to 3 classes now (all online), so I’m not commuting at the moment (normally I was commuting 1 hr each way 4 times a week)- which definitely saves me a lot of time. My classes will end in 2 weeks and then I’ll have a week off before my Fall classes begin (three semesters LEFT!). It’s exciting to think that my hardest semester will be behind me once these end (this summer I’ve heard is the most challenging).

SPEAKING of goals- I think I’ll need a whole lot more of THESE from our local Country Market (they have the most amazing organic products for $2 or $3!!) to help me reach my next upcoming Fall races!

I signed up for my next two races yesterday, so it’s official! I did need to drop out of the Chicago Marathon because it just was not feasible considering my schooling schedule right now. I would want to spend a few days exploring the city post-race and purchase all of the race merchandise, which it wouldn’t have happened had I gone there this year. I know my time will come and it will be amazing. I’ve got the White Mountain Milers Half Marathon coming up next month (it’s our local half marathon, so I HAD to do it) and then I’ve got the Loco Marathon (!!!) at the end of October (it’s another relatively local race and perfect time of year). It feels so good to have some ‘concrete’ set goals for the Fall because it helps take my mind off of the schooling I have! It’s also nice to look forward to something other than classes/studying.

My HOPE is to get back on track with blogging (I think this should be more feasible considering my upcoming class schedule) in the near future. I love this space and hope to continue to improve and tailor it to my interests in the future.

On the wedding planning front- we’re BACK to finding a venue. We had originally found one, picked a date, and was getting ready to sign the contract when some red flags on the contract came up. There were a bunch of unexplained fees and items that were not discussed during the tour, so we decided to not go with it. SO unfortunately we’re back to trying to find something within our budget, researching a million different options, and trying to keep our spirits up that we will find the perfect spot soon. I have to admit that it felt REALLY GOOD when we did find something and had a date set, so I’m sure we’ll feel much more relieved when our time does come.

Anyways enough about me, what’s new with YOU?

-Favorite thing about Summer?

-Any nurses out there have any Pharmacology/ Pathophysiology tips?

-Favorite snack while marathon training?