Training Tuesday: Keeping Those Sweaty Clothes Fresh

Tuesdays. Not quite ready to let go of the weekend, not quite ready to start thinking about the new weekend. At least tomorrow is hump-day right? Flashback to yesterday’s long run. 22 miles and last 20+ miles until my first 50 miler!

​Also saw this after I got back from my run.

Disclaimer: I received a bottle of Win Detergent to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Does anyone else have really nice workout clothes? I honestly spend way more money on my running clothes than my everyday work clothes. I know that they get the most usage and a cute new race outfit = gives me a HUGE confidence boost. They are the only clothes that I continually hang-dry and wash on a delicate cycle, which is why when I had the chance to try out sports-specific detergent I knew I had to try it.

I’m also super picky with my detergents. I always want something that will work with my sensitive skin, has no crazy amount chemicals added, a fresh scent, and can actually get rid of all of my sweaty scents. After running 7 marathons (and all of those training cycles), my clothes kinda STINK. You know that jacket where you wear anytime it’s cold/rainy/sleety outside? Yeah, mine kinda smells disgusting all the time no matter how often I wash it.

This detergent had BIG shoes to fill and it didn’t let me down. I love how it has a specific sensitive-skin formula, a fresh scent, and can really get out those stinky scents in my precious running clothes. I basically live in my running clothes on the weekend and will sometimes (i.e. often) wear the clothes I ran in to the grocery store, getting gas, running errands. So they have extra time to really let the sweat sink in. Ha. I’m also a pretty heavy sweater (not sure if this is how you spell that, but we’re just going to go with it), so for this detergent to get my clothes clean is pretty amazing.

Make sure to grab yourself a bottle and you can use code WIN4RAVE at checkout to get 20% off any WIN products off Amazon here.

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-How do you keep your sweaty clothes fresh and clean?

-Are you a fan of WIN?

Training Tuesday: How I Mentally Conquer A Bad Patch In A Race

Sometimes during a race (especially the longer distances), you inevitably hit a tough patch. I remember my first marathon and my first ‘bad patch’ came REAL EARLY (i.e. mile 14 of 26.2!). I had no tools in my back pocket to use and continued to struggle with it for the remainder of the race. Over time, I’ve come to find a few things that have helped me focus my attention AWAY from my mind and back on the race. I would LOVE to hear some of your tricks too though because mine don’t always work every time.

Remind myself of my training. Those runs where I struggled and thought I wouldn’t be able to make it. Those snowy/rainy/humid/hot miles that felt never-ending. If I could make it through that, then I could make it through anything.

Focus on when the next aid station is. This really helps me in those later miles of a marathon when I just want to see that finish line. If I can get to the next aid station, then I can reset my mind and then focus on the next one.

Change my music/ put headphones on/ put my pump-up jams on. I’ve ran a few marathons now where I will run for most of the race without my music and then put it on in those last 5-6 miles of the race. This almost always helps get me through a bit of rough patch.

Remind myself why I’m doing this. Maybe it’s to hit a new milestone, maybe I set a goal to hit a certain time goal a long time ago and I’ve come this far to not give it my best effort, maybe it’s for those who can’t run, maybe it’s for a charity. Whatever it is- remember your WHY. In Vegas, it may sound silly, but my “why” those last few miles was getting done faster to get home and meet our new kitties. Whatever works!

Think ahead to my post-race meal/activities. I always make sure to have something exciting planned post-run. For Moab, I was so excited to have the opportunity to explore a National Park post-race that that kept me going those last few miles when the air was dusty and uphill.

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What helps get you through a “tough patch” in a race? Tips? Tricks?

Training Tuesday: 10 Reasons Why I LOVE The Treadmill

Ok so probably if you’ve followed me on any of my social media platforms, you know that a fair share of my training has been done on the treadmill. Thank you Mother Nature! Between the ice, below 0* temperatures, and insane amount of snow we’ve gotten this winter- I don’t think I’d be able to get in half of my morning runs unless I had the treadmill to run on! I LOVE to run outside, but when I have no other viable and safe option —> I go to the good ole ‘mill. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite reasons why I LOVE this as a training option!

-It builds up your mental strength. There’s nothing like knowing that you can just hop off at any time, but you focus your brain to be able to withstand that temptation over time.

-You can really hit your paces. I know that if I want to hit ‘x’ pace during a mile repeat or marathon paced miles, I just put the treadmill at that speed and hang on.

-It builds up your leg strength with those incline options! There’s nothing else better (in my opinion) to get in an absolutely killer hill workout that won’t quit. I also love these treadmill hill workouts from RunFarGirl.

-It’s a safe option when you don’t have someone else to run with or know where you are. I LOVE to explore new cities on my own two feet, but sometimes it’s not always the safest option (especially if I’m traveling solo). I know that I will be able to get my workout in and be safe —> the most important part!

-It’s a nice change of pace, when you’re tired of your usual running routes. Sometimes I get in a rut of running the same ‘ol roads/trails. The treadmill helps me switch it up and I get the feeling like I’m taking a “break”.

-It saves you from running outside when the weather is just AWFUL. Snow? Sub-zero temperatures? Insane amounts of ice? Blizzard? Extreme heat? The treadmill is really a gift when the weather outside is not the best.

-It keeps your easy runs honest. While the time goes by slower, I like to utilize the treadmill to keep my easy runs truly easy. There’s no downhill segments to speed up your legs- I just pop it on a really slow pace and completely ‘zone out’ for those miles. Sometimes they’re my favorite runs of the week.

-Netflix and treadmill? It comes in waves of sheer-boredom with the ‘mill and gratitude, but I (most of the time) love to catch up on one of my new shows (that I save specifically to watch on the ‘mill) OR zone-out to a show that I’ve seen a thousand times. I also really love to watch the news on the treadmill. Total geek, yes I know. If it’s the Today Show —> even better!

-Simulate your upcoming race course. I live in a super hilly area (i.e. I don’t believe I’ve ever gained less than 400’ on a run no matter how ‘flat’ the road looks), so when my legs are absolutely trashed from running hills or long the day before - I honestly do not want to look at a hill ever again and driving to a flatter road isn’t in the question —> the treadmill at .5% incline feels incredible. I also know that training for Mt.Washington Road Race, I’ll need to really work on a pretty steep incline (12%-22%) - there is no hill around here that spans out for miles at that incline so the treadmill the BEST option.

-There is no traffic to worry about. Sometimes I get really frustrated with cars on the road not paying attention to me or plow-trucks coming straight at me. The treadmill is a really nice change of pace where I can feel SAFE and really zone out without having to worry about Mountain Lions mauling me, getting run over by a distracted driver, or being plowed up by a snow plow. <— one of my biggest fears right there!

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Tell ME some of your favorite reasons why you love the ‘mill!

Training Tuesday: Why Your Running FORM Is So Important

Monday: check. Tuesday: off to a new start! I’ve got another speedwork on tap this AM and then will do my first double workout Tuesday (will begin this new schedule with Tuesdays & Thursdays so I can get in both longer runs and strength! )- speedwork on the treadmill this morning then will get in my strength (& a mile or two run at home after work to flush everything out). Also very excited for my rest day tomorrow. Hoping it includes more of this view.

Also saw this answer to a Q & A on Instragram from Sally McRae (@yellowrunner on Instagram) and LOVED her response. Also totally boosted my confidence for my upcoming 50 miler in May!

SO I’ve been doing a bunch of reading of running-related books lately and they all seem to have a few common themes- one of which is running form! I’ve honestly never put too much emphasis on my running form- I have thought about driving my elbow back or running more on the front of my foot (as opposed to my heel), but overall it hasn’t played a huge part in my everyday running thoughts. BUT it is SO important. Why? Because it helps you save energy when running (really helpful for those long-distance runs), helps you get faster (you’re using less energy!), and helps prevent injuries (if you’re striking your heel or overusing certain muscle groups, you’re working them too hard and need to displace your weight more evenly).

One of the things that I’ve been focusing on lately is driving my knee up to the sky. I’ve never really thought about it so much unless I’m running over hurdles and things like that (i.e. on the trails so I don’t fall on my face from tree roots), but focusing on it has dramatically improved my overall paces. I’ve noticed that my butt and hamstrings are actually exhausted at the end of each run when I’m focusing on driving my knee from them (BUT they’ve already started to improve my running efficiency and they are getting less tired than they were a few weeks ago).

Here are few other great articles that help explain why running form is so important:

—> This one from Runner’s World talks all about the different focus points in your entire body to be thinking about. A lot to take in from one run to the next, but I think focusing on each area for a period of time before trying to add them all in together will really help!

—> This one from Active. Com wraps up a bunch of articles done by them regarding biomechanics, where the weight needs to fall on your foot when running, how to rethink your running form, etc. Great overall resources for specific questions that you may have regarding running form!

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What do you think of when you’re focusing on your running form?

Favorite way to spend a rest day from running?

Where do you primarily do your training runs?

Training Tuesday: 10 Things That Helped Me Go Sub 4 Hours In The Marathon

Happy Tuesday! Currently writing this post the night before catching up on DIY’s Maine Cabin Masters. I’ve been writing my posts the morning of, but I wanted to get up early to get my run in (it’s only going to be 14* as the low tonight, so that’s runn-able in the morning with lots of layers!) and strength (and then cook a fantastic breakfast) so here we are! PS I love DIY channel- anyone else?!?

Got my errands in yesterday (ran to drop this off at the Post Office and pick something up at Walgreens) while also getting my runch 5 miles in (actually 5.25 miles because I got carried away)!

Beautiful view for my run yesterday afternoon- 19* felt so warm (compared to the -10* that it was that morning)!

Got my favorite candles in (they were my ONE Christmas shopping splurge for myself).

Best Afternoon snack. Obsessed with Natural Grocer’s freshly ground Peanut Butter.

Holiday cards are ready to pop in the mail! I love doing ‘year in review’ letters- it always reminds me of some things we accomplished this year that I had previously forgotten about!

OK. Here it is. I wanted to share with you 10 things that helped me go under 4 hours in the marathon!

I actually tried to go sub 4 hours at the Revel Rockies in June 2017 and came so close (I ended up with a 9 minute PR and came in at 4:03 and was so disappointed), but it honestly just gave me more fuel in the fire to get a bigger PR at my next marathon. I ended up switching up my training plan for the next marathon and went under 4 hours in 3:55 in Vegas in November 2017!

• Try out different training plans. Maybe one will work better for you, your schedule, and YOUR body. Everyone is unique and what works best for one person may not work best for someone else! I used Hanson’s to get my sub 4, but previously tried out Runner’s World, Hal Higdon, and Jeff Galloway's plans.

• Find a race that fits your strengths. Are you a better hill runner, flat course runner, downhill? Try them out and you’ll figure out your strength.

• Find what SIZE race you love. City? Big? Rural? Small? Trial and error will help with this, but when the race gets tough (and it WILL), you want to be in something where you know you’ll thrive.

• Add in speedwork. This was the number one thing that helped me finally break 2 hours in the half marathon. I previously had never heard of speedwork and had no idea that everyday runners did it. It helped IMMENSELY!

• Add in tempo runs. Training at my ideal ‘race pace’ in longer runs gave me a huge mental (and physical) boost. I had never tried this prior to breaking 4 hours and I think it really helped me break that barrier.

• Find your nutrition and train with it. Try out a few things and figure out what works best for you. Do you need gels every 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 miles? Do you need a big breakfast beforehand? How much water do you need?

• Switch up your shoes. This will help keep injury at bay. Try to train in at least two different pairs (or more). Plus this will help you find a great raceday pair!

• Train on hills (even if your race is downhill or flat)- I didn’t start adding in any hill work until I got my sub 4 race and it made me such a better runner. I not only felt stronger on the flatter courses, but found that going downhill after you climbed uphill was pretty fun as well!

• Work on your mental game. What will you do when things get hard? What mantras work best for you? What’s your purpose? Channel your ‘why’ on training runs and imagine yourself crossing that finish line under your time goal. This will help propel you forward during tough sections.

• Strength train. I give immense credit to Pilates for helping me find my body awareness. I have no idea how I even ran before I started pilates/ barre/ jumpboard reformer classes. My butt feels kicked every time I leave a class and I walk away with a stronger sense of connection to my body that I thought was possible.

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Do you do any Holiday cards or ‘year in review’ letters?

Peanut Butter or Almond Butter- what’s your preference? —> PB all the way. I love AB, but there’s nothing like the original to me.

Runch miles- are you a fan?