Costa Rica

Hi friends,

I know it’s been a very long while since I’ve posted anything worth while…(remember I said that it would take me a little while to get used to blogging).  Since I last posted, there hasn’t been much action.  Currently, we are vacationing in Costa Rica!!!  One of the most amazing places I have ever been!  We arrived last Saturday and are leaving on Sunday.  Needeless to say, it was a much needed vacation.

Sonny boy has been surfing the whole trip while I have been relaxing by the pool or at the beach.  It has been great to explore the nature that surrounds us.  There are so many amazing things here; it really puts like life into perspective.  We came down with a couple of friends so it has been so great to be able to explore with other people. 

The one thing that I have missed is my running!  It is pretty desolate where we are staying and I just don’t feel safe to run by myself and there aren’t any treadmills close by!  BUT I have found a ways to make sure that I keep working out.  My friend brought the Jillian Michael’s Shred DVD…let me tell you…that DVD is AWESOME!!!  Totally kicked my butt everyday.  I’ve also become pretty familiar with our pool and have taken the opportunity to work on my swimming.  Plus, everyday we’re walking & hiking & exploring!  Unfortunately, the food is SOOOO good that I can’t stop eating when I feel satisfied.  I love me some spicy food and have been in heaven for the last 4 days!   I can’t wait to get back and tell you more about where we stayed and what we did.  But for now, I will leave you with the FFD.

FFD- Vacation

Don’t let a little vacation stand in the way of your fitness routine.  Think of ways to stay active.  This is a great way to explore the country, city, or area that you are staying.  Make sure to bring a fitness DVD or resistance bands when you know you will nto have access to a gym.  Pack those running shoes because you never know when you can find an opportunity to run.  Many times there are great running groups that you can meet up with in the place you are staying.  And last but not least, have fun, try something you’ve never done before.  Go on a hike, surf the seas, bike around town, or climb a mountain.

Here’s a sneak peak at some of our pics…

 

Until next time, 

Jenn

Breast Cancer Half Marathon Re-Cap

Howdy readers!  Today I’m recovering a bit from the Breast Cancer half marathon yesterday.  It was a BE-A-UTIFUL run.  I love, love, love this course and hopefully next year will do the full marathon.  My good friend lives in Jax with her kids and husband so it was great to see them too.

The race was pretty well organized with an AWESOME runner’s village for pre and post-run activities.  The shuttle service was great too, considering there were so many participants.

We started at the Mayo clinic and ran down toward Jax beach.  We ran on the beach, back through downtown Jax beach, and then back to the Mayo clinic for the finish.  It was such a beautiful run.  I would recommend it to everyone!  Also, it is for a great cause.  All proceeds from the race go to breast cancer research! 

I decided to do this race just for fun because I knew I would still be recovering from the full marathon I did two weeks ago & unfortunately, last Wed and Thurs I had a bad case of the stomach flu.  Needless to say I knew this race would just be a fun one.  But of course the competitive gal in me couldn’t resist…which really screwed me in the end.  I started off with about an 8:45 pace for the first 7 miles and then all of a sudden it hit me…I had no energy and my body started to ache really bad.  I have never felt joint pain in a half marathon before so I was quite surprised.  After the difficulty of mile 7 I decided that it was more important for me to finish without injury than to get a PR.  So, the rest of the race was pretty easy.  I walked a couple of time, enjoyed the scenery and the crowds, listened to some great music on my iPod and still finished in 2:09:43.  NOT TOO SHABBY, considering  

I will definitely be doing this race again and hopefully will make it an annual event!

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Gotta go!

Jenn

Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon Re-cap

I cannot believe that it has taken me so long to get this post out to you!  Here it goes the race re-cap of the century…my first (or should I say OUR first) marathon!

The day started off pretty chilly…in the low 40’s.  We woke up pretty early with our stomachs doing twists and turns.  I was so nervous from the moment I fell asleep the night before to the start of the race.  I don’t really know why.  I didn’t have anything to be nervous about.  I did my training, eat my normal breakfast, had plenty of time to glide myself up, and had my husband right by my side.  Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck. 

We started the race right at 7:00am as the sun was beginning to rise.  It was a beautiful morning (besides the wind).  There weren’t too many runners…at least compared to Disney.  It was a nice easy, fast start and might I add a very fast 10 miles.  Once we hit the 10 mile mark I knew that we needed to slow down a bit.  It just felt so good but I knew we were going too fast…on target for a 4:00:00 marathon.  Everything felt great until mile 14 this is when we turned a corner and all of a sudden we were running into head on wind gust of 15 mph.  It was a little wet, chilly, and very windy. 

I was starting to feel very pooped and discouraged because we lost a bit of time between miles 14-16 because of the wind.  Then all of a sudden when I started to question why I was even doing this in the first place, I look up and in the distance can see people cheering.  As we approached mile 17 I notice the cheering fans were my parents.  All of a sudden, I couldn’t control my overwhelming emotions and started to cry a little bit…they totally surprised us.  Seeing them was just the motivation that I needed to finish strong.  So, we crossed the 3^rd causeway (which felt like Pike’s Peak) and kept moving along.  Both Sonny and I knew that it was important to stay with one another.  There were times when he wanted to quit but I kept pushing him along and vice versa.  He’s my strength and that day I needed him more than ever to give me his strength and some tough love! 

 

Everything was feeling great we saw my parents again at mile 21 which again gave me another boost.  But then we reached the final (4^th) causeway…I like to call is Mt. Everest.  This was mile 23.  For me, I really had to dig deep between miles 23-25.  Those babies were absolute torture.  Finally, we made it to the final straightaway, where again I couldn’t control my sob fest.  I had an extra kick at the end to finish strong and we ended up finished 7 minutes before our goal time (4:20:00) and crossed line at 4:13:01.  I couldn’t believe it…we did it! 

That S*#T hurt so bad.  At first, I was cursing at my stupidity for doing the marathon and proclaimed that it would be a long time before I did another race.  It took me about 2 days to recover enough that I could exercise without discomfort and only 4 days to fully recover from the race.  Let me tell you, my thoughts have changed completely.  I CAN’T WAIT TO DO ANOTHER ONE!!!  Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to complete one until the fall.  BUT I CAN’T WAIT!!!!  It was the most painful, exhilarating, emotional and AMAZING days of my life!!

Here are some more pics…

Until next time,

Jenn

Upset tummy

Sorry that I’ve been MIA…I came down with a majjor case of the stomach flu and have been in bed for a couple of days. This time I promise I’ll have the race re-cap ready to go very, very soon.

Done and Done

We did it. We finished the Melbourne and Beaches Music Marathon without any injury! In fact, I’m going to do my first post-marathon run today.

I have lots of pictures to post and will have them up by the end of the weekend. It was an awesome race and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

I’ve been super busy this week with work, school and wifely duties. So, I’m sorry I’ve been M.I.A. I promise I’ll get back into the swing of things soon. Look for a race re-cap very soon.

It’s all uphill from here!

It’s time for some more information about the Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon…

Located on Florida’s Space Coast, just north of Miami, south of Jacksonville and east of Orlando and Tampa, the State Farm Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon Weekend makes for a perfect warm winter running destination. It is held a month after the Disney Marathon, and, like a rock-n-roll marathon, our event includes more than 20 musical acts along the course of the half and full marathon and half a dozen on the routes of the 5-k and 8-k races.

A very scenic route that includes four bridge crossings for the full and two for the half-marathon, the course twice takes marathoners to the beach side barrier island and back to the mainland before concluding on main street of downtown Melbourne — followed by the awards ceremony and a party featuring yet another live band.

I’m extremely excited about this race because of all the entertainment along the course.  On top of that this race is headphones friendly!  The one thing I am not as excited for are the causeway crossings (mountainous hills for Florida).  Though I have incorporated some hills throughout my training I’m a little nervous about FOUR causeways.  These causeways are nothing to play around with!  They are each about .5 mile long (that’s an eternity by my standards). 

This brings me to the FFD = Hill training!

I read a great article in Runner’s World when I was researching ways to train for this marathon.  Below is one of my favorites because it explains the biomechanics for running efficiently up and down hill.  Plus…it’s very straight-to-the point.

Hill Workouts – Runner’s World

THIS WAY UP

Proper form helps you power up any incline.

By Marc Bloom

Image by Tin Salamunic
PUBLISHED 09/15/2008

HEAD: “Keep your head and chest up. Don’t slouch,” says Olympian Adam Goucher. Attempting to “grit out” a hill, many runners put their head down, which wastes energy by throwing off their form.

EYES: To keep your body upright, “fix your eyes directly ahead of you, not down at your feet,” says cross-country champ Lynn Jennings. “You will sleekly move up the hill.”

HANDS: ”Keep your hands loose, no fists,” says Jim Schlentz, who coached Olympian Kate Fonshell. Loose hands help your whole body stay relaxed.

LEGS: ”Push your legs off and up, rather than into, the hill,” says Goucher. This helps you feel “light,” as if you’re “springing” up the hill.

GOING UP: Run the first two-thirds of the hill relaxed, then slightly accelerate the last part, while carrying your pace over the top, says Schlentz. “Don’t push too hard at the bottom of a hill,” he says. “Then you’re dead at the top.”

BRAIN: “Visualize the crest of a hill 20 meters beyond where it really is, so you run to the top-and keep going,” says Jennings. “I would tell myself, ‘Up and over, up and over,’ and would not relax till past the top.”

TORSO: “Lean forward,” says Jennings. “It maintains momentum.”

ARMS: Coach and marathon champ Alberto Salazar emphasizes accelerated arm action to drive up a hill: “Concentrate on overusing the arms to really power up, so your running almost simulates sprinting.” Your arms should form a 90-degree angle at the elbow, and swing straight back and forth, not across your body.

FEET: “Get up on your forefeet and take shorter strides,” says Jennings. “Run with punctuation.”

GOING DOWN: ”Your feet should land underneath you,” says Schlentz. “This produces minimal shock on the body.” A shortened armswing will help shorten the stride.

WHY BOTHER?: Strength, efficiency, endurance. A study published in the Journal of Biomechanics found running on a steep grade at a fast pace achieved greater “muscle activation” in the legs and hip area than running at a slow pace.

SHORT ON TIME: Short hills provide maximum training effect with minimum injury risk, says elite coach Brad Hudson. Start with three or four repetitions up a hill about 60 to 80 meters long at top speed. Recover fully between runs.

DISTANT MEMORIES: Longer hills teach the body to recruit muscle fibers when they’re fatigued. “This helps you develop a kick,” says Hudson. Start with three or four reps of a hill 300 to 600 meters long. Recover fully between runs.

 How do you like to train?  Do you integrate hill training, speed training, or cross-training into your routine?

Jenn

Race Day Jitters…

As race day approaches (5 more days) I feel myself becoming more anxious and nervous about the event.  It’s not like this is my first race but it is my very FIRST marathon.  There’s so much to think about in preparation and I’m just so excited that I can’t contain myself.  From my understanding this is a normal feeling that most people should experience with an upcoming event.  There are so many emotions that I have experienced during training BUT the best feeling has been a sense of accomplishment for both my husband and I.  I’m so proud that we set out on a mission and we are ACTUALLY going to complete that mission this Sunday morning. 

I have been thinking of ways that I can calm my nerves throughout the week.  Obviously, yoga comes to mind but I have also thought about deep breathing and meditation exercises.  Meditation and visualization are proven ways to increase performance of both the mind and body.  I will discuss this in more detail in “Fitness Fact for the Day.” 

For now, I’ll write a little bit about race day.  I’ve decided that I’m going to fill you up with tid-bits of race weekend info over the next five days and of course hit you with a re-cap on Sunday!  How does that sound…it’s great for me J

What: Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon, Half marathon, 8k & 5k

When: February 6-7, 2010           

Where: Melbourne, FL

Course: (see map: http://themelbournemarathon.com/documents/2010Fullmarathoncoursemap012110.pdf )It starts in downtown Mel and travels down US 1 to the first of four treacherous causeways mountains, then carries on beside the beaches of Brevard county to the second of four treacherous causeway mountains, then repeat!  Sounds like fun, huh???  All along the course there will be music and many adoring fans (j/k…I made that one up), so I think we’ll survive.

Fitness Fact for the Day:

Meditation and deep breathing are great ways to decrease stress and anxiety.  From a physiological perspective deep breathing helps us to decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure, decrease muscular tension, and calm emotions.  Meditation is great for helping us boost confidence, find awareness, build concentration/focus, and mindfulness (Book: Calming your Anxious Mind by Jeffery Brantley).  One of the oldest and most tried & true forms of meditation is breath awareness.  By engaging in breath awareness you can immediately help yourself focus on the present moment.  As athletes, elite or novice, it is extremely important that we focus on the present moment so we can performance at our very best right here, right now.

Have you ever used deep breathing or meditation before a big event?  How did it help?  Were you able to get in the zone?  I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

I’ve been bad…

So sorry I haven’t posted anything in a couple of days. I’m doing a little research for today’s post and will have it up by the end of the day. I hope you all had a great weekend! I’ll catch up ASAP.

Workout today: 4 x 400m with 400m RI and LEGS, BACK, BICEPS strength training

Stay tuned…

Goodnight, Sleep Tight

Good afternoon bloggies!  I hope your week is treating you well.  I’ve been a busy, busy lady.  Between work, grad school, homework, wifely duties and Sonny boy’s birthday I’ve managed to run myself to the ground!  Fortunately, I’ve got an awesome run planned for this afternoon something that will help me stay awake til 6:00pm (just kidding).   If you’ve noticed, I really prefer to workout at the end of the day.  It is a way for me to decompress and unwind before I get home.  Luckily, I’ve got a gym at the office so I have no excuses for missing a workout.  For me, it’s really hard to get going in the morning and many times working out is the last thing that I have on my mind at 4:45am. 

That’s right; I get up most days between 4:45am and 5:30am.  I find that this is uninterrupted time for ME.  Many times I’ll catch up on some reading, homework, or what’s going on in our world.  Because I get up so early I’m typically a zombie by 8:30 at night. I typically function best, from a physical perspective and a focus/concentration perspective, when I get no less than 7 hours of sleep. 

This brings me to my Fitness Fact for the day:   SLEEP…

There’s a lot of debate about sleep…how much do we really need, is it necessary, can I train myself to handle less sleep, etc.  The answer is YES we REALLY need about 7-8 hour of sleep (the science says so), it is ABSOLUTELY essential, and YES you can train yourself to handle less of it.  Sleep is essential for recovery, stress, and performance.  It is critical that we try to get the best quality of sleep that we can.  To do this, try being more fit.  The more fit you are, typically, the better sleep you will have.  Because if you are fit you can fall asleep faster, reach deeper sleep, and ultimately wake up feeling more refreshed (Human Performance Institute).  For an athlete sleep can make a positive and negative impact on performance.

Here are some sleep tips from the MAYO CLINIC (www.mayoclinic.com):

• Create regular sleep patterns i.e. go to bed and wake up at the same times every day
• Exercise regularly
• Eat a light snack before bed
• Minimize distractions
• Create bedtime rituals i.e. read a book, take a bath, meditation or deep breathing
• Comfy temperature and bedding

How are you sleeping?  What are some of your bedtime rituals, if any?  How many of you skip much needed sleep for something that is more important?  Have you seen its impact on your mental or physical performance?  SLEEP is good…so do you best to get the right amount and the right quality of sleep to maximize your performance!

Workout today: 6 mile tempo run/8:47 min mile (This should be interesting…)

Until next time,

Jenn

Be Flexible

“Be flexible”…those are words I’ve heard many times before. I find that particular statement to be very interesting. When someone says, “be flexible” it almost makes me feel like I must conform to their beliefs or feelings; that I can’t stand up for what I want. Then other times it makes me think about how stubborn I am and that my stubbornness will not get me very far in life. I hear this statement most when I am at work and from my parents. No matter how old you are, mom and dad are always there to set things straight and I’m grateful that they still don’t mind making me see things a little clearer.

So, in the spirit of being flexible I have changed up my running routine for the week. Officially, I have begun the taper process and I’d have to say that I’m enjoying it quite a bit. Though, I’m not too sure I can let go of the intensity factor just yet. To me, intensity is what makes a workout fun!

Workout Today:

• Repeat run day (5 x 1-k) • full body strength training session

• Lovely stretch session (these hammies are TIGHT)!!!!

As I mentioned, I used to be a dancer and was as flexible as anyone could be, these days I’m lucky to even touch my toes…I know, I know, IT’S SAD.  But there is no day like today to increase the amount of stretching in my life! From this day forward, I am going to stretch for 15 minutes after every workout as well as have a quick stretch in the morning and before I go to bed.

Fitness Fact of the Day:

Stretching is a great way to cool-down after an intense workout, both cardio and strength training. It is just as important for our tendons and ligaments as it is our muscles. Stretching gives an analgesic effect to the muscles, which is why it feels so good when we’re done. Way back when, people used to think that you HAD to stretch before a workout, these days that’s not always the case. For the general population, there really isn’t a direct need to stretch before you workout. Instead, science has proven that it is more beneficial if you warm-up (I call it dynamic stretching) before the workout and stretch after. You know, there’s a study that indicates stretching 15-20 minutes before a workout can actually decrease your strength by 15-20%? So, if it is habit or if you just LOVE to stretch before you exercise try to do it at least 15 minutes prior to the start of your routine. If you do this, you will ensure that your muscles are ready and rearin’ to go!

What is your stretching routine (just a quickie or a long, relaxing yoga)? Do you prefer before or after your workout?

Until next time,

Jenn