Figuring out this whole blogging thing & 6 mile days

6 mile days seem to be the theme of the next two weeks of marathon training for me. 

I'm really determined to work on making my easy days really 'easy' so I can hit my paces on my harder workouts when they come along. SO that may mean paces over 10:00 min/mi and I'm slowly accepting that. It takes longer than what I could do which is a bummer, but I think it's an integral part to keeping myself injury free and not burning out through the training cycle. 

I'm not really sure how accurate the Forerunner's heart rate monitor and recovery time predictions are. Anyone have a good experience with either of these two functions? I've been keeping watch on my breathing (easy) during my easy runs and still get this same recovery time notification when I'm done. It's a little frustrating, but I think I'll just stick to working on keeping an eye on my breathing and always take it down a notch slower to make sure I'm recovering well. 

I also recently uploaded the link to my pinterest page (link is at the bottom of the page/homepage) and have put up a lot of fun things that I've either made or will be interested in doing/making, so make sure to check it out! I have a skater competing at the Vail Figure Skating Competition this morning, so I fit in my run Friday (6 miles), took today off, and will do my other run on the schedule on Sunday (8 miles). We don't have many other plans this weekend, except hoping to get out paddle boarding on the lake either this afternoon or tomorrow (depending on whichever day has better weather). I also know that I want to bake a lot (is it just me or is anyone else already getting excited for the Fall baking and running season?!)- including the Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (you can find them here). 

This week is also the first week of Marathon #5 training! I'm planning to post a weekly review of the Hanson's Marathon Method and do a more in-depth review of my marathon plan in the next few days so stay posted! I've love to hear if you've ever followed Hanson's training plan before and your experience. 

I also ordered this Running Vest from Ultimate Direction and can't wait to test it out when I start hitting more trails to do my runs on! It got awesome reviews and I'm excited to go explore more hiking trails with my running shoes. 

Also I wanted to say THANK YOU to all who are currently reading and following along on my blog. I'm still in the process of figuring it all out and the direction in which I want to take my posts. I'm really inspired by both Miles To The Trials and The Running Wife's blogs and how they approach posts (something of substance posts), but also still love The Hungry Runner Girl's everyday posts; so, bear with me while I still figure out the best fit for my lifestyle and the perfect fit for Just Keep Running! I'd love to hear your thoughts if there's something you really want to see in a running/fitness blog or a different perspective that you'd enjoy. 

I've definitely been struggling with getting up early to get my runs in this week, but it's been pretty nice to have the option to fit them in later as well. I managed to get my run in early Thursday morning and was greeted to this beautiful view in the valley. Does anyone else feel like a beautiful sunrise brings about so much possibility and opportunity? I instantly feel empowered when I'm able to witness the fog lifting off the mountains and sun awakening the valley below. 

Any good suggestions on blog topics or thoughts on posting everyday or would you rather see a once a week SoS (something of substance) post?

Running in the morning, afternoon, or night during the summer? 

Plans for the weekend? 

Back from Vacation & Thoughts on June Mileage!

Phew! We are FINALLY back from vacation after 13 days away! I had the full intention of continuing to do posts while away, but we only had about ~5 days where we had internet and believe it or not, we were actually really busy the entire time. I thought vacations were supposed to be relaxing?!?

Currently working on my vacation posts, but I'll recap my back from vacation mode now and put up the vacation recaps shortly!

Getting back on track after vacations are REALLY hard. All my body wants to do is sleep for eternity, but after not having much structure with my workouts for 3 weeks (including 2 weeks of vacation and 1 week of post-marathon goodness) I was seriously craving some good sweat sessions.

Endorphins from working out is definitely a thing because even though I'm still sleep-deprived my body is happier with being back into the work-out routine! We got back home Tuesday evening at 8pm (and still stuck on East Coast time, so it felt like 10pm) and unpacked the majority of our things and went straight to bed. I got up at 5 and still managed to get in an easy 4 miles and 30 minutes of a full body strength training. The rest of the day was spent at work catching up on everything I missed and teaching two skating lessons yesterday afternoon! Our internet has still been down since we arrived back (I swear this ALWAYS happens to us!), so we cooked up some chicken and topped our baby spinach salads with it (along with cucumbers, chopped carrots, and a bit of Parmesan). Super happy to be eating healthy again! 

This morning I was surpisingly pretty sore from my workout yesterday, so tried to take it a bit easier on my run. I did 5 miles, but probably should've slowed down my pace even more- live and learn, am i right?!

I tallied up my June mileage and was pretty disappointed with it. I ran a total of 81.7 miles, which doesn't seem like much, but June was a pretty scattered running month for me! It included 1.5 weeks of taper for the marathon, 26.2 miles for the race, a week totally off of running, and then 2 weeks of short runs (while on vacation). So all in all, I'm pretty happy that I even got over 80 miles this month- plus I got a shiny new PR for the marathon, so that counts for quite a bit!

This thought pattern also just brings me back to the thought of why are we so concerned with all the numbers and comparing ourselves to others? What's a high number for one person may not be considered high for another. This is SO true not just to running, but to others weights, how many races you've run, what your race PR is, how far you have or have not traveled, etc. 

We are all individuals and that is what makes us UNIQUE- be true to yourself and proud of your accomplishments because the person next to you probably thinks you're a ROCKSTAR (and you should probably think the same thing about yourself ((and them too))). 

I came across this quote last week and fell in love with it. Isn't love all that matters in the world?! 

Maybe I'm just being sentimental or all mushy from my stress-free vacation, but this really stuck with me and I'm going to try to center my thoughts more towards love and peace, rather than focusing on others. 

So enough of the mushy stuff! How's your dreaming beyond your comfort zone going?!

I'm still a work in progress on this (aren't we all?), but continuing to work towards improving myself and breaking down the barriers that I put up for myself. 

Three things that I am thankful for today:

• My Health
• My Family
• Green Tea with Honey <- currently fueling me through the afternoon slump!

How did you spend your Fourth of July?

Getting back to training/running/work-outs after a vacation- any tips?

Dreaming Beyond Your Comfort Zone

I re-listened to the Runner's World Show Podcast on Deena Kastor's Positivity Speech yesterday and was totally inspired. I was ALSO inspired yesterday when I listened to I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein's Podcast interviewing Teal Burrell (Teal went from a 4:07 marathon to qualifying for the Olympic Trails with a 2:42 Marathon)- talk about dreaming big!

I started thinking about dreaming big (and not just kind-of big, but really really big) and how truly scary it is to think of the long road there may be to get to your goals (and how uncomfortable it could be). I like to set goals for myself and sometimes get only a fraction out of my comfort zone, but I'm not sure if I've ever really pushed myself way out of my comfort zone too much. I've hiked some pretty dangerous trails, sky dived, moved halfway across the country by myself, applied for jobs totally out of my league, but these all seem SO small compared to Teal's goals and Deena Kastor's amazing speech about positivity. 

I've also been thinking a lot about my recent race and what my goal for Las Vegas Marathon should be. I'm a huge believer in stepping stones towards a larger goal, so I wanted to utilize LV as a stepping stone towards my bigger goals (running a sub-4 hour marathon, qualifying for Boston, running a 1:45 half-marathon). I also know that I still struggle with pushing myself in a race beyond my comfort zone (getting comfortable with the uncomfortable)- I was SO close to the edge of breaking through this barrier at my recent race (progress, eh?), so I am determined to achieve that at my next race. 

Positivity and the ability to dream big really do go hand-in-hand.

You not only have to BELIEVE in yourself, but you also need to BELIEVE in your dream. 

Creating positive self-talk is really difficult and something that I don't always succeed at. I get down on myself (sometimes on crummy runs or sometimes when I have a set-back from one of my dream goals), which is pretty terrible and a total dream-crusher. So, I am determined to begin to re-work my thinking from negative to positive.

It's not going to happen overnight or 6 months from now and it will be challenging, but I believe it will be THE key to my success to reaching my dream-big goals. 

It'll start small from consciously trying to be aware of how I look at situations, view myself, view others, etc. and correct myself when I notice these negative behaviors creeping in. I will also list three things each day that I am thankful for. 

Here's to launching my #dreambeyondyourcomfortzone project! You can join along in my project and leave your #thankfulnotes in the comments, a journal, your blog, social media, etc. Share the positivity!

Thankful for today:

1. A beautiful view out our deck
2. Avocados and Over-Easy Eggs
3. My Resiliency

What are you thankful for?

Any big race tips to stay positive and push outside your comfort zone?

What are some things that make your Dream Big list? 

Easy ways to add running into your life

So maybe you ARE already a runner or maybe you've only ever thought about running or maybe you've never thought about running but someone you know is totally in love with running, these few tips will help you add running into your life!

I could list off all the amazing benefits that running does for your mind and body, but I'll leave that to you to figure out once you begin!

1. Try a run/walk ratio. I did this when I came back from an Achilles Tendinitis injury and it really helped me ease back into running and not re-injure myself. I also did a similar technique when I was training for my first half-marathon. I would choose a telephone pole ahead of where I was right then and say to myself to 'just run until I get there' then I can walk/ take a break/ stop the work-out all together. This really helped build-up my confidence too as I soon found that I was able to go longer (most of the time) without stopping and could build up to running a farther distance/time, while reaping more benefits from running!

2. Set a goal. Whether that goal is to run a 5k, 10k, marathon, be able to run a mile without stopping, become healthier, lose a few pounds etc. I've found that working towards a goal helps me stay motivated and accomplished when I reach it. I began running on the treadmill (which I really loved) to simply get into shape and lose a few pounds that I had put on when I was injured with a torn meniscus. Once I felt myself starting to get in shape (and convinced by a friend who had recently started running), I signed up for my first half-marathon (a bucketlist thing) and since then, I've kinda always enjoyed training for something and participating in a training cycle too!

3. Buy some new fun running gear. Whether it's new running shoes, shirt, pants, iphone holder to play your music, watch, etc. A new piece of gear that you really REALLY want to try out can help motivate you to begin running (even if it is just a day or two per week). I can't explain how excited I was to begin using my new Garmin watch when I got it- I had to test it out (even when it was almost hurricane-like weather out).

4. Make a plan to fit your run in that works for you. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do your run at the exact same time every day, but it does mean to hold yourself accountable to your runs (at least when you are getting started). Creating a habit out of something like running takes a few weeks and until it becomes more than just a chore/task you need to make sure to fit it in your schedule. Whether that means planning to run during your lunchbreak and not letting anything come up to deter you from that lunchtime run or strapping on your sneakers as soon as you get home to do your run before you get sucked into anything else at home. Make time and hold yourself accountable. 

So there you have it! A few easy ways to add some running into your life. While starting a new schedule is hard and keeping yourself injury-free is easier said than done, but listen to your body- if it feels like you're doing too much or running feels too hard, slow-down, take some walk breaks and be patient. The best things come to those who wait :) 

How do you add running into your life?

Any tips/tricks to begin running or work towards a big goal?

How I Built Up Enough Running Confidence to Tackle the Track

This marathon training cycle is the first one where I've actually tackled speed workouts on my own. For Goofy training I did some interval work on the treadmill through the CoreRunning class offered at Steamboat Pilates & Fitness, but this was honestly the first time I had ANY interval work at all. Well, I guess I did some mile repeats last year for the Revel Rockies Marathon, but I never seriously committed myself to them and never had any concept of time for them. I also had never heard of the concept of "easy" run days prior to this training cycle. My, how far I've come! 

For this training cycle, I've either resorted to doing my speed interval workouts in my 'safety net' AKA the treadmill, through a CoreRunning class, or I've taken the last few outside on the road, but never on a track. The track always intimated me (although no one else was there at 6am)-

I have always associated tracks with fast runners and I have never even been close to being fast. I was always that girl in gym class that would get picked last and would struggle through running a mile. 

Even now as an adult, I still thought of myself as a 'kind-of runner' and absolutely never FAST! But you know what I've always thought of recently, I am a 3-time marathoner and have finished a half-marathon under 2 hours. Maybe I'm not 'fast' in some peoples eyes, but my accomplishments are something that I once thought was impossible! 

So, I put on my 'big girl pants' armed with my running accomplishments and decided to tackle my last double-digit Yasso 800 workout not on the treadmill, in class, or on a road, but ON THE TRACK. 

Yasso 800s (which were once a completely foreign workout to me) are an extremely important workout in any training cycle and also helps for you to predict your race-readiness. So, before setting out on my workout this morning I decided to do a bit more research behind Yasso 800s. According to Runners World, the overall times are accurate depictions to what you can expect as a finish time for a marathon (Bart Yasso found that the 800s he did for several years leading up to marathons were a very close prediction to what his race time was). 

My training plan called for 8 x Yasso 800s in 4:00 minutes (with 400 recovery jog in-between), along with a 2 mile warm-up and 2 mile cool-down (800 is two-laps around a standard track; 10 miles total) . While the traditional predictor is for 10 x Yasso 800s, I'm confident that my overall fitness could easily have taken me over the last two 800s (I honestly didn't even feel THAT exhausted after the workout). 

My splits were:

3:57, 4:06, 3:56, 3:54, 3:51, 4:00, 3:53, 3:52 - averaged race time predictor: 3:55:30

SO, was the track as 'scary' as I made it out to be? Absolutely not. Did I have any reason to be 'ashamed' of my pace? Nope. I rocked it and feel awesome. I got in 10 miles total and have never felt stronger. 

It was actually kind of fun. 

Like I've said in past posts, maybe we just need to embrace the scary to build our confidence. Maybe we should start building ourselves up rather than breaking ourselves down. Acknowledge what your body has accomplished and don't let anyone (including yourself) make them smaller than what they are. 

Be proud of how far you've come and go rock that track. xo