Tag: training

First Half-Marathon: Complete!

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It’s done! 10 weeks of training all led up to the big 13.1 on Saturday and it’s finished. It’s taken me a little while to sit down and write about the process, completing this training “journal.” The race did not go how I envisioned but I don’t want to sound too negative about it–I am proud I got it done.

That being said, here’s why the day was a disappointment… starting with the weather. It poured not only throughout the race, but it had also rained hard the day and night before. I’m not talking about a little rain. I am talking downpours. Sidewalks were flooded. The edges of roads had rivers running down them. And it was very cold. Suffice to say, these are not ideal conditions for running. My armband phone case doesn’t close all the way so I wore a poncho the whole way to make sure my phone stayed protected. Everyone was soaked to the bone and it was nearly impossible for me to get out my GU packs because of the poncho and the fact that my hands were numb. Sloshing through puddles that came up past my ankles left my feet numb and cut up.

But possibly the worst part of the day was that the fear I mentioned in my last post came true–I got sick the night before the race. It started with a tickle in the throat, headache, and chills. I woke up feeling the same and just had to pop ibuprofen and move on. This made it hard for me to put my training and race plan into practice. Every time I wanted to push my pace, my head pounded and forced me to slow back down. I was breathless and achy. So I came in at the longest time I told myself I could take: 2 hours and 15 minutes. If it hadn’t been for the sickness and the weather, I would have seen that time as a complete failure.

I am proud that I got it done, but I think it’s also okay to be disappointed in the circumstances of the race. Do I want to give it another go? Try another half? I think so, but I’m honestly not sure. I had hoped to get “caught up” in the race-day hype and the enthusiasm of the other runners and that the excitement of race day would entice me to want to complete more races. There was no enthusiasm. No one wanted to be running in those conditions. The MC did the best he could and stayed positive, but the runners all just wanted to get it over with. And who could blame us?

I think I probably will go for another half at some point. But right now I’m not anxious to train like that again anytime soon. And my hip flexors are still pretty sore, 6 days post race. It’s been a tough week workout-wise since the Saturday, honestly. I’m still not feeling 100% and all cardio is hard. I tried to go for a short shake-out run on Tuesday and it was extremely painful. So I may have to put running aside and stick to the bike for another week or so until my hips feel better and I regain my full strength. My hips are still in pain when I walk my dog so I’m hoping to use that as a gauge for when I’m ready to run again. Overall I’m glad I can say I checked this “bucket-list item” off my list and it will make a hilarious story in the future–especially if I go on to compete in more races. This first one was definitely a doozy!

Half-Marathon Training Week 9: Taper Tantrum

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My first half-marathon is less than a week away! Week 9 has been a great week of training, though I am feeling what they call a “taper tantrum.” The training climaxed at the end of week 8 and then has tapered since, in order to keep the body fresh and avoid injury before the race. But after 8 weeks of increased difficulty and hard training, it feels wrong to lighten the load. I’ve heard some athletes refer to this time as feeling like a “caged animal”–you want to keep training hard, but know it’s not in your best interest.

Things have gone really smoothly up to this point. I’ve noted an increase in my stamina, strength, and overall positive feeling about the race itself. I finally got to a point where I could notice a remarkable difference between an easy or “recovery” run and an endurance run. (Remember, in the beginning of my training when I was like, “what’s a recovery run alway?! It’s all hard!”) Not so, anymore. So even if the race doesn’t go the way I hope, I am happy with the gains I’ve made in my running and overall fitness.

I’m not too worried about the weather because I’ve run in all kinds so far! I’ve run in the rain and snow more than once so if we get a rainy day, I’ll be fine. My only concern in that area is for my family, who will be waiting for me to finish. There should be festivities going on at the park to keep them occupied, but I hope the weather is decent for their sake. My biggest concern right now is the possibility of getting sick. We’ve had a nasty cold going around our house that has knocked each of our kids on their backs for a day or two at a time. And there has been a few “clear” days between each child’s symptoms. The latest one was our oldest at the end of last week. I don’t know if Randy or I will come down with it or not but my biggest fear is getting sick right before the race. I don’t care how much ibuprofen I have to pound–it’ll be very difficult to keep me from that starting line!

The next time you hear from me, I will have finished my first half marathon! Cheers to a strong finish!

Half-Marathon Training Week 8: The Climax

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This week was an emotional roller coaster for a number of reasons so I’m just going to start at the beginning. I began the week feeling very anxious about the race. Sunday night I opened the race website and read more thoroughly about the course. The words “challenging” and “hills” stuck out to me and for some reason I couldn’t remember reading them there before. Obviously nerves were getting to me. I had trouble sleeping just wondering if I really had what it takes to run a “challenging” course for 13.1 miles. At three weeks out, I knew it was too soon to really have race day jitters. So I figured I was really nervous about my 120-minute long run coming up at the end of the week. Because all of my training hinged on that long run. How that run went would tell me if I really had “it” in me. I drove around my neighborhood plotting different routes until I found one that totaled 13.5 miles. It had so many hills and I was super nervous about running it, but also knew that I HAD to run a challenging course in order to gain the confidence I needed. When I was done, I would compare the hill graph that my fitbit generated to the hill graph on the race course website to see how similar or different they were. I’ve known that the race course wouldn’t be quite as bad as the hills I have around where I live, but my nerves had me doubting not only my capabilities, but also my prior knowledge of the course itself.

The plan was to run the 120 minutes on Saturday morning. Friday I had a homeschool convention featuring a speaker I was really looking forward to seeing in person. Then Saturday would be the big run, followed by my son’s double birthday party: Saturday night with friends, and then Sunday afternoon with family. It was sure to be a busy weekend! But as I watched the weather, Saturday was looking more and more dismal as it crept closer. I’m talking, torrential rain AND heavy wind predicted for Saturday morning. I’ve already run in the rain and snow and wind. I know I can do it if I have to. But I had no desire to run my big one in those kind of conditions if I could avoid it. So on Thursday I contacted the convention to see if I could use my Friday ticket for Saturday instead, figuring I could run Friday morning and then try to use the rest of the day to get as much ready for my son’s birthday as possible. Depending on what I got done, I could try to sneak away Saturday morning for at least part of the convention before entertaining guests that afternoon/evening.

There’s an irony in life that we know we can’t really control everything, but we still try to make the best, most efficient plans as possible. And every once in a while we get a good, hard reminder that we are not in control. On Thursday, while I was in the midst of messaging convention leaders about my ticket, trying to bake a cake (and discovering I was out of baking cocoa), and waiting for my bread customers to arrive for their orders, I got news that my dad’s brother had been in a horrific car accident just a few miles from my house. By Thursday evening, it became clear to us that he probably wouldn’t make it. Sleep was elusive Thursday night. I woke up Friday morning emotionally charged which proved at least decent fuel for a 2-hour run. (More on that later.) My husband took Friday off from work and after running, showering, and setting the kids up for the day, we went to the hospital to say “goodbye” and be with extended family. He died Friday afternoon. We are still stunned. To lose someone so suddenly and unexpected is a shock to the system. This particular uncle (and aunt) attended my family’s church and he played in our worship band. He and my father had a band together when I was growing up and my memories from that time are strong. The sadness cast a shadow over my son’s birthday festivities but I’m grateful we were able to be with friends and family and have a bit of a distraction in the following days. I never made it to the convention.

I said it was an emotional roller coaster of a week, right? While I started the week extremely anxious about running, I ended the week feeling strong in that area. My 2-hour run went well timing wise (although I did get downpoured on twice). When I compared the elevation graphs from my running route to the race course, there was really no comparison. It was clear that although they do call their course “challenging” and with “rolling hills”, their hills are nothing compared to what I run around here. The fact that I was able to run for 2 hours and get the mileage I wanted AND do it with incredible hills really gave me the confidence I needed. And although I’m now feeling good about the upcoming race, there is still a shadow that came with the end of this week: a lingering sadness that will be here for a while. I am grateful, though, that we don’t mourn without hope. Our faith, my uncle’s faith, and our family’s faith in Jesus Christ assures us that we will see him again, in Heaven, with our Lord, for all eternity. This life on earth is so very fragile and it is only a fraction of what is to come. The last thing Uncle Tom said to my husband and I when we saw him at church on Easter Sunday was, “He is risen!”

The race is in two weeks and the plan from here on out is to just stay fresh, fit, and focused. And avoid injury!

I know I typically share photos at the end of these posts but I’ve been having technical issues in this area lately. I’m “back” on social media now (though still trying to limit my time there) so you can see photos from my son’s birthday (he had a dinosaur cake!) and more on instagram. Come follow me @raising_little_seekers on insta–I’d love to see you there!

Training Week 7: Finding the Right Fuel

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Happy Patriots’ Day/Marathon Monday! I have to admit, listening to all the local commercials for the Boston Marathon and hearing a variety of runners share their “why”–what they’re running for, what charity they are supporting, etc, has been inspiring. It’s also left me feeling a little inferior while training for a mere HALF marathon. But I am glad there is such a thing! It’s definitely more accessible to the average, busy mom who doesn’t have ample training time at her fingertips. (Me!)

During week 7, I logged about 22 miles of running for the week spread over 45-minute, 60-minute, 30-minute, and 75-minute runs. It was a great week weather-wise and I felt really good overall. Since ditching the weighted vest for my runs, the training has gone smoother. I’ve noticed more gains and just felt stronger overall. This could also be due to the training work finally “kicking in.” I do love the weighted vest for walking and increasing strength in other areas–it’s especially good for women as it helps mitigate bone density loss as we age. But for running? It just wasn’t working for me. You can read my previous posts if you want to know more about that.

Last week I mentioned wanting to figure out my plan for pre-run fuel. I have been an early morning workout person for years. I get up, workout, THEN get ready for my day and have a little post-workout-something. Lately it’s been a protein shake made with raw milk and chocolate protein powder. It’s worked for me; or so I thought. The truth is, I am often starving by the mid-morning which can either lead to over-snacking or undereating if I’m really busy and then my attitude plummets along with my blood sugar and it just isn’t good for anyone. I also wanted to have a plan to eat something before my longer runs that would sustain me, so that’s what I’ve been practicing. I’ve read that bagels are a popular choice for runners but as someone who bakes all her own bread products, bagels are not always at the ready around here. Instead, I’ve been making overnight muesli and loving it. I take a pint-sized mason jar and put in about 1/3 cup of oats, some flaxseed, chia seeds, coconut, a little brown sugar, and some diced apple. I top it off with milk and stick it in the fridge overnight. In the morning it’s ready for me to enjoy right when I get up. I noticed a big difference in my workouts this week. I ate the muesli before my 45 and 60 minute runs and then didn’t have anything before a bootcamp on the bike and my 30 minute run and I really noticed a lack of energy during those workouts. I also noticed it staved off mid-day hunger when I started the day with fuel before a workout. (I still have my protein shake after.) I think this is going to be my new routine for all my workouts. But I’m curious about what works for others as far as pre-run or pre-workout snacks? If I get bored of this, how should I mix it up? In the past before a long run, I’d have half a banana but I’m really not a huge fan of bananas in general so I would just choke it down. But maybe if I mix it with oatmeal? Let me know what you do!

As far as mid-run fuel goes, I’ve gotten pretty good at sipping water from a small bottle I bring with me, and sucking down an energy gel. I love these gu packets from Amazon and am especially partial to the raspberry lemonade flavor. If you’re a runner, I’d love to know what you prefer for in-run energy!

Week 8 is the big one. Essentially the climax of the training, week 8 ends with a 2-hour run and I’ll be targeting around 12 miles for that one. At the beginning of my training I said I hoped to complete the half-marathon in about two hours. That has become more like a dream than a hard goal. I’ve stated before that I’m not fast (obviously) and this is my first ever big race. I’ve never even seriously run a 5k or 10k race. And all of the coaching I’ve had through this process has stressed letting go of time goals if it’s your first race. “Just complete it and enjoy it.” So that has become the goal. I know the race course is much less hilly than my neighborhood where I train so I have some hope that I’ll achieve a faster time than I’m used to. But I also know that race-day jitters are real and that can also impact my time. So for now, I plan to just complete the race and enjoy it. My husband and kids have finished my playlist and they are so excited for me to hear it on race day. (I am too!) This week is going to be crazy as it’s my son’s birthday, I have a homeschool convention, and the 2-hour run to prepare for. If I survive this week, I know I can crush the actual race.

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures from our week and Easter weekend! The spring weather brought us outdoors for school to collect pond water and study it under the microscope. We delighted in seeing tiny micro-organisms look like monsters as they zoomed across the petri dish! My oldest likes to hold painting classes for her siblings in her bedroom and the boys and I had a fun game night one night when both girls were away for the night. If you’ve never seen the 2014 documentary “Fed Up”, I highly recommend it. I had my oldest two watch it and write a paper on it for school. We’d already been on a journey to limit added sugar and make more things from scratch but this film really solidified some of our ideas. So in that same vein, I made Easter candy at home–peanut butter protein “eggs” and homemade peppermint patties. Of course, they got some traditional favorites during their egg hunt. Easter weekend was a large order weekend for my cottage bakery and a successful one! I also have pictured one of my favorite methods of recovery: an epsom salt bubble bath.

Half-Marathon Training Week 6: The Shift

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How ironic that last week I said I was sticking to my run schedule this week no matter the weather–and I ended up running in the snow… twice. It is April, right?! When I started training at the beginning of March I honestly didn’t expect it would still be this cold (and snowy!) on week six in April. But here we are.

Good news is I got just under 9 miles in my 90-minute run in the snow! I was hoping for a little over 9 miles, but I’ll take it. It was a good week of training despite the weather. If you had asked me last week how I felt about the upcoming race, I would have said I couldn’t wait to be able to say it was over. But this week there has been a shift. I’m now more than halfway through the training and when I think about the race being over, it makes me a little sad. I think I’ll be sorry it’s over.

This week I have more than one long run, but nothing over 75 minutes. I’ll be focusing more on nutrition and pre-run meals. I have typically worked out on an empty stomach in the past. It’s just easier schedule-wise if exercising is the first thing I do in the morning. But that’s something I need to change for the rest of my training. My recent 90-minute run had me feeling pretty weak and hungry. So I’ll be experimenting with pre-run fuel in the upcoming weeks to see what works for me and if I notice endurance gains. Starting with overnight muesli for my next 45-minute intervals run.

More food pics from the week! It was Italy week in our homeschool and I probably had the most fun making food this week–from homemade pasta with the kids to tiramisu, Italian doughnuts, biscotti, and everything in between. I snapped a couple pictures on my long run in the snow last week. Still hoping for better weather this week! And the last photo of my oldest and youngest kids cracking up on family game night makes me smile. Have a great week, friends! 🙂

Half-Marathon Training Week 5: Rough Week

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This past week of training was tough. Last week, week four, I called the “no quit zone.” If I wasn’t so determined to NOT quit, week five might have been the week to do me in. It wasn’t so much the physical running as the mental game–mustering the motivation to run in less-than-ideal weather, and honestly just fitting the runs into an already crammed schedule. The mental load was a lot, and I don’t want to sugarcoat this process or give the false impression that it’s been easy.

The week started with an easy 30-minute run on a rainy Monday morning. I don’t mind running in the rain, generally, but I am hoping for an improvement in these cold, windy, and overall dreary weather patterns we’ve had lately. Next was a 45-minute intervals run, which I knew would be tough but I was pleased with how strong I felt. Then came the hard part. I couldn’t figure out where to fit in my next 30-minute run because my next two mornings were going be jam-packed with making and baking sourdough for my cottage bakery plus the early morning weather was set to be very cold and very windy. I had to get the run in before my long 75-minute run on Friday, though. Saturday I had to get my son to a karate tournament early so I wasn’t fitting a long run in that morning! After agonizing over when to tackle that 30-minute run, I finally decided to try to squeeze it in Wednesday afternoon after book club and hair appointments with my girls and before my son’s karate class; soliciting help from my oldest with dinner that night. It was supposed to be an easy run, but it was one of the harder ones I’ve had. I had worked out that morning–completing a 45-minute bike & strength bootcamp (one of my favorite forms of working out that I can also do indoors early and in the dark, unlike outdoor running) and had a busy day of sourdough prep, homeschooling, teen girl book club, and haircuts for my daughters. I thought the run would be a nice way to get fresh air and clear my head but it ended up feeling rushed and the weighted vest I’ve been wearing caused more severe chafing on this particular run. It was painful. I took Thursday off from running and only did some conditioning strength training and an easy cycling class. On Friday I had my long run and was aiming for 7-7.5 miles in a 75-minute window. But I didn’t plot my route ahead of time and didn’t count on a pretty steep hill I ran into on a road I had never been on before. I decided to give the vest another try and wear it differently but the chafing came back with a vengeance so the run only granted me 6.5 painful miles. By the end of the week I felt exhausted and defeated. Thoughts like “this isn’t working”, “this isn’t the right time of life for me to train for something like this”, “will it ever warm up or NOT be windy on a run?!”, and “I can’t do this” flooded my head.

But, I’ve already passed the “no quit zone” as I said, so here we are! I’m thankful that the vest issue is fixable. I’m ditching it while running for now. I still think it’s great for walking and increasing strength for push ups, etc, but it’s the bumping that occurs while running that is causing the problem. So, so long! I’m grateful that my bad ankle is holding up well. It talks to me sometimes after a speed run but on long runs it really does okay and doesn’t hurt after. I’m also thankful that my husband and kids are stepping up to help out where they can and are encouraging me. I’ve enlisted them to put together my playlist for the race and I can’t wait to listen to it and guess who added which song. I’ve been nervous about the mental aspect of the race and if I’ll be able to keep myself motivated without a coach encouraging me in my earbuds like during the training. I think having a playlist made by my favorite people will help!

This week, to alleviate some of the stresses of last week, I’ve written out my training schedule and am determined to stick to it, no matter the weather. If a run doesn’t go as planned because of the wind and rain, so be it. The mental strain of trying to save my runs for the best weather days of the week is just too much. I keep telling myself that the weather is bound to turn at some point! Running without the vest will be liberating and I hope to see an improvement on my pace. My long run this week will be 90 minutes and I plan to plot my route beforehand so I don’t get surprised by more unexpected steep hills. Some hills are fine, but I don’t want too many–I’d like to be able to keep a somewhat steady pace to really practice for the race. I already know that my training route is more hilly than the race route, so I am well-prepared in that area. My friend and I are celebrating her upcoming birthday by getting massages and lunch–so I will be primed and ready to get a good 9 miles in during the 90 minute run! I’m more confident that I’ll be able to achieve this goal without the vest and if my route is planned ahead of time.

Despite the busy week and the training discouragements, a lot of good things happened! Here are some pics!…1-4) It was “Spain” week in our homeschool and I had so much fun making food I remember eating when I studied there in college. I didn’t use a recipe for the Spanish tortilla, paella, or flan–just pulled from my memory. My host mom would shake her head at my miserable flipping of the tortillas (see first photo) but it was still fun to try to show my kids how it’s done like she showed me! The churros were the biggest hit, though. 5) I facilitate a book club with my oldest and three of her friends. I seriously love hanging with teens and hearing their thoughts on deep subjects. I take them to a local cafe and treat them to drinks and pastries and we discuss our book. It is truly a highlight for me. 6) The girls got haircuts and Emmalyn (age 9) went short! The style looks super cute on her. 7-8) Our youth group had a karaoke competition Saturday night and Abby and her friends did AMAZING! After the competition they opened the floor to anyone who wanted to sing and Emmalyn sang with a couple other young girls with their big sisters backing them. It was adorable and so fun to watch. I love watching teens have fun and be ridiculously creative when they are given the space to be. Randy and I had a truly fun night with them. 9) Eli (age 7) came in second place in kata during his tournament on Saturday! He’s a purple belt and already racking up more trophies than he has room for.

Wish me luck on getting those 9 miles in later this week!

Half-Marathon Training Week 4: No Quit Zone

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Finished off week 4 with the first 60 minute run of the program. My goal was to get in 6 miles during that run but I only covered 5.5. I was pretty bummed but also tried to give myself grace because I was running against strong winds most of the time (yay for early spring in New England) and I was running on tired legs. I don’t ever plan to do all four of my runs for the week in four consecutive days, but that’s what ended up happening last week due to weather and scheduling conflicts. So it was my fourth run in four days and the wind was not in my favor. But I got it done.

I’m calling this time the “no quit zone” because I feel like here, at the end of week 4, is where things are getting tough. The novelty of the training program has worn off. The runs are getting longer overall so it takes more mental fortitude to get out and go. And my body is feeling it. There is soreness and blisters and lots of athletic tape. But I’m also learning that not only can I run on tired legs, but I can push my pace at the end of runs. Continuing to strength train regularly, cycle, stretch (something I often struggle to fit in), and incorporating epsom salt baths twice a week are helping! The weighted vest is becoming somewhat of a hassle as it’s caused some sores where it “hits” me in the front of my chest during runs. If you’ve ever watched The Office–I feel a little like Andy on the “Fun Run”! 🙂 BUT, I’m planning to continue wearing it to train, just not on my walks until after the race and I can let myself heal. Then it will just become something to wear on walks and hikes and probably not for regular runs after this. Next week I have some easy 30 minute runs, a 45 minute interval run, and a 75 minute run to close it out. My goal is to get 7-7.5 miles in during that run. I’m not dreading it. I’m actually looking forward to it! And I can sense the morning temps rising just a little which makes me smile. Running in 3 layers and gloves is getting a little old.

Lots of pics to share this week! It was “France” week in our homeschool. Our focus this school year has been world geography: ecology and cultures. It’s science and history combined and it’s been so fun to “travel” around the world. I’ve tried to make at least one dish from each country we study but for France, I wanted to do so much more! I have Ina Garten’s “Paris” cookbook so it was my companion all week. Not everything is pictured, but we made baked eggs and herbs, omelettes, and French toast for breakfasts. And of course, crepes! I made Julia Child’s “boeuf bourguignon”, a provencal vegetable soup, croque monsieurs (basically a ham sandwich with a gruyere sauce on top), and tried a new recipe for sourdough baguettes–still needs work! One of our absolute favorite desserts is creme brulee so it was really fun to make it again! I like to tell the kids about the first time I ever had it in Paris and didn’t know what it was at the time but loved it!

baked eggs & herbs — the kids have requested we have this more often!
boeuf bourguignon
creme brulee is sooo good!
croque monsieur

A few more pics from an animal-filled week… I brought the kids to New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth, MA to meet an injured hawk and take a microscope class. It was really fun! Reminded me of Animal Adventures in Bolton, MA; another place we like to visit. For three weeks in a row, we have been trying to get chicks to add to our chicken flock. We currently have 12 egg-producing chickens and want to add 6-8 more chicks this year. But the poultry industry has been hit hard lately and chicks are scarce and in high demand. We struck out twice by being too far back in the line when the farm store opened. But the third time is a charm! The kids and I waited in line (with our camp chairs) for 90 minutes Friday morning and got four chicks (the current customer limit). Abby and I plan to go back one more time to try for four more and then we’ll be done for the year. Wish us luck! After last week, I decided to go for my long run when we got home which was a physical test. I was nervous about running after drinking my morning coffee (a latte, at that). Ha! I generally prefer to run first thing in the morning, after eating maybe half a banana at most. But I pulled it off so I plan to do my 75 minute run this Friday after getting our last four chicks. It’s good prep for race day since the race is at 9:00, not 6:00 when I generally run. After a fun night out in Boston with Randy Saturday night, I am ready for week 5!

It was COLD!
peep peep!
Randy and I got a night out in Boston Saturday and we had a blast!

Half-Marathon Training Week 3: Why Do You Run?

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One night recently when Randy and I were sitting at a bar on a date, I overheard a conversation happening next to us about running. A woman was talking about a race she had either recently ran or had coming up (NOT the Boston marathon) and a man was effectively questioning the point of running as competition. “With all the competitive sports out there, why go running? You can do that anywhere, any time! I guess there’s something about people running ALL TOGETHER?” I didn’t hear the woman’s reply but it got me thinking. Do people look down on running as a “sport”? Is it even considered a sport? I understand that a lot of people get bored while running and it’s certainly not exciting to watch like other sports. So does that make it pointless? Why do people run? Here are some reasons I do:

As I’ve said before, I’m not naturally athletic. I’ve worked hard over the last few years to build my strength, agility, and endurance. Running allows me to push myself to be better (measurably, with a pace watch like a Fitbit) without anyone watching and without worrying about letting a team down if I don’t perform well. The only person I can really disappoint is myself. But there is also self-discipline involved because while there’s no one for me to let down, there’s also no one else encouraging me to get out of bed and go when I don’t want to. I have to be my own “hype” person and encourager when things get tough. So in this way, running builds mental discipline and stamina without the fear of failing a team.

More personally, I have almost no hand-eye coordination! I was born cross-eyed and had surgery on my eyes as a baby. I now wear glasses to help but my depth perception still isn’t perfect. This makes sports that involve throwing and catching balls VERY hard for me. So really; running, cycling, and lifting weights are my best forms of physical activity and I just compete against myself. So “with all the other competitive sports out there,” that’s why I choose to run. Why do you? Or if you don’t, what’s your preferred method of competitive sport?

Some questions I’ve been asked about my training:

What are you using to train? I use the Peloton app! They have a half-marathon training program as well as a full marathon program. The half-marathon program consists of 10 weeks and four runs per week varying in length and difficulty.

What weighted vest are you using and are you liking it? Here’s the link to the vest! I have it set to the lowest weight, which is 11 lbs. The added weights were “bumping” against my ribs too much and after two runs, it was a little painful so I ditched those and left it at just the sand-filled vest. It still adds enough weight to slow me down–my pace is not nearly as quick as it’s been in the past without the vest. I love-hate using it! Love it because I know it’s making me stronger but hate it because of the obvious: it’s challenging and I know I’d be faster without it. I do find it relatively comfortable all things considered. I wear it while walking my dog and while doing my push-ups everyday. (THAT’S challenging!)

How far have you run so far? The farthest I’ve run in one session in this program so far is 4-4.5 miles in 45 minutes. I’ve done that about five times. Next week I have my first 60 minute session and hope to get in a solid 6 miles at least. I’ve run for an hour before but not recently! Again, these are slower times than I’m used to due to the vest and the cold–I’m still waiting to be able to run and breathe comfortably in over 30* temperatures!

Time for this week’s round up. Staying away from social media during lent has led to taking way less pictures, and I think that’s a good thing. We’re just enjoying our days and the GRADUALLY warming temperatures. Here are some pics from the week. 1-3) On Monday I took my three older kids to the Van Gogh Immersion Experience in Worcester, MA. It was fantastic! They are still open Thursday-Monday and if you’re local, you should check it out! I homeschool my five kids and love the freedom in learning it affords us. 4) We’ve made quite a few varieties of cookies this week! Emmalyn made some on her own and little bit of flour she got on her cheek was too adorable. 5-6) My gorgeous cousin is expecting her first baby and the girls and I went to her baby shower Saturday. It was a nice treat after my long run that morning.

This week started the official beginning of spring! In case you haven’t seen it yet, check out my spring activities BINGO sheet for families! How many of the screen-free activities can you check off as a family? Here’s the link, and the bingo card will come straight to your inbox. Happy spring! https://stan.store/raising_little_seekers/p/get-the-free-spring-bingo-card-now

Training Week 2: What is an “Easy Run”, anyway?

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Half-marathon training week 2 = done! This was also the week that I finished my 6-week hypertrophy strength training. (A form of strength training that requires heavy lifting and minimal reps.) My body is thankful to say “goodbye” to my monster weights for now, but I also can’t wait to pick them back up when this race is over. I just love heavy lifting! But now I get to focus on my runs while I do moderate strength training in between.

While this is the first half-marathon that I’ve actually signed up for, I have completed training programs for halfs in the past. All programs I’ve seen have a similar structure: endurance runs, intervals and progression runs, distance runs, and “recovery” runs. This has always been a bit of an oxymoron to me. For me, running is hard. Period. I don’t have great lung capacity, so I’m always breathless, no matter my pace. Whenever I hear, “nice, easy, conversational pace” I think, “ha! I can’t have a conversation at any pace!” So that’s what I’m working on. In the past, I’ve tried to continue improving my pace even on my recovery runs. Not this time. My goal is for these runs to really FEEL easier. 13.1 miles is a long way. I need to be able to run “easy” when I start to feel breathless or need to calm my heartbeat. Learning to recover in a run or jog is the goal for these next weeks. It won’t be easy as I’m running in the cold and my running route is filled with hills. I often hear that recovery runs should be as flat as possible but the reality for me is that it’s just not possible. But hopefully it makes me stronger in the end.

So here’s my question to all the seasoned runners out there: would you rather hit a hill during an interval (when you’re supposed to be going faster and really want to see that pace improvement) or on a recovery from an interval (when it’ll be harder to catch your breath because you’re running uphill)? Answer in the comments! I think about this question often on my runs. 🙂

It was a long week and a hard week for lots of reasons. Here are some snapshots and descriptions: 1-2) We went for a nice walk and picnic on the mild Tuesday we had! Anyone else anxious for real spring? Or summer?! 3) I’ve been working on improving my sourdough and experimenting with different recipes. My family’s favorite boule is the whole wheat and this one came our beautiful. 4) Thursday was the longest day with several sourdough orders (I run a humble cottage bakery from my home) and a million other things happening at once! 5) My youngest son, Logan, had his last gymnastics class and I took him to Coldstone Creamery to celebrate. 6) Our city currently has an art show for students happening at City Hall. My oldest, Abby, submitted a watercolor of a horse (it’s beautiful!) and we went to the opening reception Thursday evening. There are so many talented young artists in Leominster! The artwork will be on display for the next two weeks. 7) Hubby and I had a date night Friday where I finally got a Guinness on tap–I hadn’t had one since returning from Ireland a year ago! 8) And I tried out a new to me recipe for sourdough potato buns and they are our new favorite burger bun.

Training Week 1

On By Bethany DattoloIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This week was my first week of training for the half marathon and I finished a little late! I told myself at the beginning of this that I wasn’t going to let weather become a factor in my training. I want to run in inclement weather, figuring it’ll only make me stronger for the race. But my “long run” this week came on Friday, when we had wind speeds up to 45 mph. I laid in bed listening to trees, wires, and our fence sway and bang in the wind and I thought, “No way. I may as well run in place! I probably won’t move at all if I go out there!” So instead of finishing on Friday, I took my final run of the week on Sunday morning. I don’t plan to train on Sundays in general, but it was nice that there were hardly any vehicles on the road.

Week one was a challenge. The temps were below freezing most of the mornings, making it hard to breathe well. I’m also training with a weighted vest, which I’ve never done before. I have 11 lbs of vest on while I run and that has added an additional breathing challenge. Why the weighted vest? My hope is to improve my strength, bone density, core, and give myself an improved race time by running the actual race without it. My pace is much slower than I’m used to with the vest and probably also due to the cold. It’s hard to be efficient when your body is fighting the elements. I keep my spirits high by reminding myself that the worse I start out, the more improvement I should see over the next nine weeks. (Right?!)

This week I have 30 minute progression run, a 20 minute recovery run (the last of the 20 minute runs for the rest of the training), and two 45 minute runs: an interval and an endurance run. Last week my goal was to just get through the cold and finish the runs. This week I would like to see small improvements in my time and endurance. And if not that, then my hope is to at least feel better/more efficient on my runs.

I have one more week of my strength training program, which is hypertrophy focused. Meaning, the goal is to lift as heavy as you can for a short amount of time to BUILD muscle, rather than maintain it the way condition training does. I’ll be glad to have it finished so I can focus more on my runs, rather than try to balance the two. I’m also revisiting the push up challenge that I completed in January: doing a push up for every date of the month. But of course this month–it’s with the vest! 🙂 If anything, I’ll at least have some killer triceps at the end of this–summer is coming! 😉 On to week two!

Here are some quick pics from last week. My weighted vest, the spring bingo card that’s FREE in my shop (in case you missed it, you can download it here), the kids “mining for chocolate chips” as we listen to The Endless Steppe on audio, Noah making potato pancakes to go along with his presentation on Poland, and Eli’s karate team warming up at their tournament on Saturday! Eli came away with second place in kata and fourth place in weapons. He did great!