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20 Perfect Miles

If I could run the marathon next Sunday I’d be a really happy girl. After today’s 20 miler I have the confidence and training that makes me so excited for November 4th. The past 24 hours have been pretty perfect!

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Yesterday I had my first client meeting in my new role and it just reaffirmed how excited I am for the challenge. Sure it’s not going to be all roses but it’s going to be challenging and e-commerce amazes me. It is so interesting and changing so quickly! I had the chance to rock my new JCrew School Boy blazer which I bought during their 25% off sale!

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After work I headed to Eataly to pick up the ingredients for our pre-long run dinner, linguini with clams. An evening cooking and relaxing together is the perfect way for Bo and I to finish a long week. 

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We were both in bed by 10pm in preparation for this morning’s long run. I had 20 miles on the schedule while Bo was striving for 22 to give him the confidence he wanted for his first marathon. Earlier in the week I sent an email to a few of my favorite runners who share my pace to see if anyone would want to join me for 20 miles bright and early Saturday morning. Luckily, Leticia, Kristin, Meghan, and Marcial (my co-worker) were all game!

I mapped out a 20 mile course which would start near Union Square for those people coming from Queens and Brooklyn while also including hills in the last 6 miles in order to best replicate the actual marathon. You can see the actual course by clicking here.

We met at 7am and left from Union Square ready for a great run. From the very first mile everything just felt right. The weather was nice and brisk, the conversation was steady, our legs felt light and strong, everyone had fuel, and the scenery was beautiful.

We only stopped a twice before reaching the park, once for a quick 30 second stretch and next to refill our water bottles.  The entire time we were keeping around a 10:55-11:10 pace, just clicking away the miles. Crossing town was a pain but by the time we reached the park we had another friendly face join the group as Tracy, a blog reader visiting from out of town, ran with us for the last 9 miles!

20 mile group

We enjoyed one loop of the resevoir before conquering the west rolling hills in the park and then Harlem Hill. This was a perfect way to push our legs and body, just like we’ll be challenged in the marathon during the second half. It wasn’t easy and I actually took Harlem Hill too fast, hitting a 10:20 pace which left me on empty for the last mile. But, overall this 20 miler which was blessed with negative splits for the second half, was pretty amazing. I learned that I have to carry more fuel, especially for the last 8 miles and that with a positive outlook and inspirational friends, 20 miles can feel like a piece of cake. I think you can tell from our faces that this run rocked!

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Kristin and I toasted our successful 20 miler with our first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season! I had mine made with skim milk and just 2 pumps of syrup. Kristin was right! This was a delicious way to celebrate taper time!

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Did you run this weekend? Are you preparing for a Fall marathon? How’s it going?

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Low Fat Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips

It’s definitely Fall in New York City. The temperatures have reached the mid 40’s and I can’t resist running through Central Park at least 3 evenings a week just to take in the Fall foliage, cool breeze, crisp air, and enthusiasm and inspiration I gain from the busy running path. Everywhere I turn there are pumpkins for sale, warm and spicy scented candles, deep Fall colored clothing, and tall boots. Beyond everything else, my favorite part of Fall is pumpkin itself. Whether carved, painted, roasted, thrown in a delicious smoothie, or in a baked good I find that it is versatile, rich and delicious!

Last week I was inspired to use my second can of pumpkin for baked bread. My friends in the office love my baked goods and request them, especially during stressful weeks. After searching for an hour on the internet for healthier pumpkin bread recipes I came across this awesome recipe. I thought about just making the recipe but then went to the pantry only to find that we didn’t have enough all purpose flour or chocolate chips. Therefore, I took her recipe and altered it, using what I had on hand. Brace yourself because this bread is pretty damn epic! The best part of this recipe other than the taste is that it takes only 2 bowls and 3 steps! I hope you enjoy this as much as my co-workers have this week!

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Low Fat Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips, serves 12

Ingredients:

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 350*
  • Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk, ensuring that you don’t over mix.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips.
  • Spoon batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition Facts
  12 Servings

Amount Per Serving
  Calories 145.1
  Total Fat 1.6 g
     Saturated Fat 1.0 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
     Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
  Cholesterol 0.0 mg
  Sodium 260.3 mg
  Potassium 59.6 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 31.4 g
     Dietary Fiber 1.6 g
     Sugars 20.5 g
  Protein 2.7 g
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The Marathon’s Gifts

This week’s Marathons+Moderation guest post comes from someone who I’ve had the pleasure of not only meeting in person but also following online for ages! I absolutely loved following Tina as she trained for her first marathon and overcame injuries. Her daily prose inspire many, whether they read her blog or follow her personal training plans. If there is one thing that sums up Tina it’s her perspective on life and experience. Just take this line from her marathon recap:

“It took 4 hours, 42 minute, and 55 seconds out of my life. In exchange for the experience of a lifetime.”

Hope you enjoy this guest post as much as I did!

About two weeks before my first marathon, my husband came home one day proclaiming “I realized that I drive about 24 miles to work. It hit me that you will be running farther than that. I don’t know how you do it!” I have friends who introduce me as a “crazy runner”. When my love of running comes up in discussion and I mention an upcoming race it almost never fails that I hear the question of “But WHY would you want to run for 13/26 miles?!” And with each and every one of those remarks I get a smile on my face and a little swell in my heart. I won’t deny that I can be a little crazy…but endurance running sure doesn’t make me crazy. I feel like I would be crazy not to run.

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I started running not even 2 short years ago, after the end of my second pregnancy. I’ve always loved fitness and have been working out for a decade. I even took that passion to become a NASM certified personal trainer. Strength training is my first love, but running is my true love. Running and training for races reminds me a lot of a passionate relationship. It has its highs. It has its lows. It can break your heart or leave you soaring in a euphoric natural high. Through it all, though, the desire never fades…it likely only grows stronger.

This past spring I trained for my first full marathon. I won’t lie and tell you it was a road full of rainbows and butterflies with unicorns offering up ice cold purified water with Nuun every few miles along the way. Not even close. I incurred my first running related injury during that training. I have a post on my blog about dealing with a running injury and training how works for you, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

That marathon may have taken away some sanity, time, energy, and maybe even a little dignity in the “I should have known better” sense. It gave so much more.

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It gave me time. I know I just said it took time, but it also gave me *ME* time. As a mom of two toddlers running my own personal training business and blogging, I fully looked forward to my Saturday morning runs where I could have time to myself.

It gave me friends. I got involved with a local running group during my training. Having other friends who enjoy the sport and won’t be introducing you as the “crazy runner” added so much to my life.

It gave me appreciation for my body. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder and a lot of self-image issues in the past, seeing that my body could achieve what I previously thought impossible turned my self-image around. I no longer care so much about what my body looks like. I just want to run.

It gave me knowledge. I have learned so much about my body and better ways to fuel myself, heal myself, respect myself, and balance myself through running. I learned and overcame weaknesses I wouldn’t have known I had without running.

It gave me joy. Immeasurable joy. If I can be in as much pain as I was in this picture and still be smiling that big, you know I felt pure joy. Only a few moments in my life compared to that moment, coming to the finish line of my first marathon. I can’t wait to experience it again….I even just registered for the New Orleans Rock N Roll Full!

If you have had a goal to do a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, whatever, because you fear what it may cost you…don’t. I’m here to say that it will add so much more than it would ever cause you to sacrifice. Go for it. You don’t have much to lose, but a world of positives to gain.

headshot_thumbTina Reale is a NASM certified personal trainer and owner of the personal training site and blog Best Body Fitness. Tina offers affordable online personal training programs and her Best Body Bootcamp virtual boot camp (now registering!). Tina also shares workouts and fitness motivation through her blog. Tina completed her first marathon – the Cleveland Marathon – in May 2012 and looks forward to continuing her quest for a healthy, balanced life as she raises her two small children. Look for her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as well.

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