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Marathons+Moderation: Guest Post #15

Hello Healthy Happier Bear readers!

My name is Megan and I blog over at Runner’s Kitchen. Today I’ll be telling you guys how I roll when it comes to balancing miles and life. I’ve been running competitively for about 12 years now and I think I’ve finally figured out the running-social-work life balance. Well, at least sometimes. Back in my college days, my main priorities were the cross-country/track team and school work. In that order. I went out on Saturday evenings, but a weeknight beer was out of the question. All of my weekends were devoted to traveling, meets, and long runs.

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It was an awesome experience, but obviously things changed a bit when I graduated and moved to New York City. For the first time in my adult life, I had weekends that were completely my own. I could run if I wanted to. Or not at all. For the first year or two after graduation, I didn’t do much running or racing. I needed a break! But after I settled into post-college life, I found myself missing the social aspect of running. And I also had a lot of pent-up energy after a long day in the office! So in the fall of 2008, I joined the Central Park Track Club and started training for my first marathon. As most of you know, training for a marathon (or any race!) takes up a lot of time. You need the time to run, of course, but also extra time to cross-train, shower, massage, eat, and nap. As my non-running friends spent their nights hitting up bars on the Lower East Side and logging long hours at work, I tried to figure out a way to reach my running goals while 1) still seeing my friends and 2) being a good employee.

Below are some things that helped me fit it all in:

1) Associate with like-minded people. Are the people in your life supportive of your lifestyle choices? Or do they heckle you for needing extra sleep? For spending your weekends running races? You can’t choose family or co-workers, but you can choose who you’re friends are. If they make it easier for you to be a runner and do the things you love, that’s priceless. Don’t let them go. I’m not saying you should forget about your college drinking buddies, but if what they like to do in their free-time isn’t meshing with your goals, it’s okay to scale back on the time you spend with them.

2) Realize it’s okay to say NO. You can’t do everything. I’m kinda type-A, so it’s definitely taken me awhile to accept this, but I’ve gotten better at saying no. If I have a long run scheduled for a Sunday morning, I might have to cancel on a night out with friends. Sometimes sleep is more important than a blog-post. I’m on a budget, so sometimes running shoes might be more vital than a dinner out with my boyfriend. If running is important to you – make it a priority and don’t be afraid to let others know that’s the case.

3) Be creative with the way you manage your time. I try to integrate running with my life as much as possible. I literally "run errands" – to the post office, to Target, to return my internet router (yes, really). And once a week I "run commute" to work. It’s easier than you think! It might mean I sacrifice some primping time, but to me, miles are more important than make-up. I also try to make run-dates with my friends. This way I get in my workout and also maintain social connections!


4) Always remember that life is short – do what makes you happy. Is what you’re doing making you happy at least 75% of the time? We all have days when running is hard, when it’s boring, when we’d rather be drinking beer….But as long as the training and racing experience is making you a healthier and happier person at least most of the time, you’re on the right track. If it’s not making you happy, change things up. Maybe you need to stop racing for awhile. Maybe it’s time to get a new running buddy. Being in shape and setting PRs is important, but never let that get in the way if enjoying life! (Even if that means sometimes skipping a run in favor of happy hour with your lady friends…)
imageWhat are your tips for training hard while still making time for other important things (you know, like husbands and jobs and stuff….)?

Question: Want to be featured in October or November’s Marathon+Moderation guest posts? If so, email me or leave a comment!

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A Picturesque Fifteen Miles

The air in New York City has definitely turned Fall like since the hurricane winds left.

The return of Fall also means that a few of my favorite things are back in season:

  • All things Pumpkin (oats, beer, muffins, candles, etc)
  • Tall boots, skinny jeans, and comfortable sweaters
  • The return of our favorite television shows (Modern Family, Parent Hood, Grey’s Anatomy) and new ones who will get their shot
  • Long runs every single Friday or Saturday morning, preceded by delicious pasta dinners

Last night, I welcomed my first 15 miler of marathon training with a delicious pasta dinner. Unlike last year, I tried to keep in mind that I’m carb loading for a long run, not 30 people’s long run. Therefore, I only enjoyed this bowl and not the multiple loaves of bread they sent with the delivery.

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I woke up bright and early and made sure to prepare my fuel first so I could eat it before getting ready. I realized last week that I need to give my food time to digest before I start running in order to reap the benefits.

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Three bathroom stops, one twitter post, and four work emails later I headed out the door around 6:45. One of the best perks of my new job is the fact that I’m allowed to work from home on Fridays. This means that if I so choose, I can do my long runs Friday morning. I promise that you will see Friday afternoon posts from me during marathon training where I’m responding to work emails from an ice bath or with my calves happily inside of Zensah sleeves. Two things that would never fly if I had to be in the office on Friday.

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You’ll notice in the picture that I’m wearing an actual technical shirt versus a tank. When I checked The Weather Channel this morning it was 65 degrees and only supposed to reach 75 by 10am! You’ll also see that there is no Garmin on my wrist. I accidentally plugged my Garmin into the charger but forgot to plug the charger into the wall. Maybe this was just my mind’s way of telling me to focus on mileage not time today.

I ran with my phone in my hand for the first few miles since I was meeting up with people along the path. I wanted to let them know my approximate distance and pace so they would know when to expect me. The other benefit of having the phone in my hand was easy camera access. I couldn’t help but capture the beautiful morning views.

This morning’s picturesque route took me along the East River Path, down to the point of Manhattan and Battery Park City, and around to the West Side highway. I met Katherine and Melissa along West Side Highway about 7.5 miles into my run.

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Running with these lovely ladies, and Theodora for a quick mile, was a complete treat!  We have very similar paces so I never felt like I was holding them back. We don’t know each other very well so there is always an easy topic to discuss which makes the miles fly by. I still haven’t mastered the art of talking while running but I did manage to talk for about 4 of our miles before we all chose to zone out to music.

This week was exactly what I needed to get my running mojo back. I had an awesome speed workout, a challenging hill workout, and a long run that was enjoyable and challenging.

Things to remember for next week:

  • Do not send your Zensah sleeves to the wash and fold the night before a long run.
  • Plug the Garmin into the charger AND the wall.
  • Bring more fuel.
  • End the run at Jamba Juice again!

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I’m off to meet Bo for date night! It’s been a while since we went out for a date night and we have plenty to toast including our new jobs and a wonderful Summer!

What do you have to celebrate these days?

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Marathons+Moderation: Guest Post #14

Hi, I’m Amber from Girl with the Red Hair and @AmberYake on Twitter! I’m so excited to be guest posting for Ashley’s awesome Marathons + Moderation series!

amber_-_photo_4 (640x480)I started running in 2009 and I’ve ran one full marathon, four half-marathons and a handful of other races including several trail races. My first (and only so far) marathon experience was not the greatest and I think it’s because I did not take the "moderation" part of training seriously enough.I was too stuck to my training plan and ended up over training.

 
During my first training cycle when I got an injury in my back/hip/side I continued training through it for six months before finally seeking help! This ultimately resulted in me getting a torn tendon in my foot at mile 24 of my marathon (I still finished, but barely!)
 
I’m strongly considering doing my second marathon in the spring of 2012 and here are a few ways I plan on training differently:
amber_-_photo_1 (368x550)What I did: Stuck to the plan, 100%. If something got in the way of a planned run I would freak out and figure out some way to make it up even if it meant burning myself out by doing a 10-mile run, 18-mile run and then a 20-mile run all within 10 days of each other (oh yes, I stupidly did this!)

What I plan to do:Be flexible! A plan is there to guide me. It’s not the be all, end all of the world. During my next marathon training cycle I’m going to take each week in stride. If I don’t feel well I will listen to my body. I’ve learned that getting a few quality workouts in each week is better than doing several junk runs.

What I did: Ignored the signs my body was sending me. I ended up having a chronic pain in my side (the hip/back/side issue I mentioned above) from over training for SIX MONTHS before I finally got it checked out. I literally would have pain in my side CONSTANTLY and I ran through it. Stupid. This ultimately resulted in me taking six weeks off from running.

What I plan to do: Listen to my body and what it tells me, back off and seek treatment at the first sign of injury or pain.
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What I did: Ran too high of mileage. Even though 40 miles per week is really low mileage for some it was too high for my injury-prone body and the week I hit my highest mileage (40 miles) was also the week all the injuries started popping up during my training cycle.

What I plan to do: Run lower mileage and cross-train like crazy. I will be running 3-4 times per week maximum and will likely max out at 35-37 miles during my next cycle. I plan to balance all the running with lots of swimming, yoga and strength training (something I definitely did NOT do last time). I know that yoga has kept me injury-free so far in 2011 while I trained for two half-marathons, a 25K trail race and my first sprint triathlon, so I know it will be a key part of my next marathon training cycle!

What I did: Trained alone. Well, I was training "with" my blog friend Lisa(who I ran the marathon with – we split off at mile 2 though) but since she lives 1,500 miles away I did every single training run alone. It became hard to motivate myself near the end of the cycle and I was doing a lot of negative thinking!

What I plan to do: Train with a group. If I do the marathon I’m thinking of doing in 2012 I’ll be joining a marathon training clinic that my local Running Room is putting on.

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What I did:It wasn’t the best day out there during my marathon (think pouring rain the entire time) and I was so focused on a time goal that I didn’t truly appreciate the fact that I was running A MARATHON. When I crossed the finish line I immediately burst into tears because I was in pain, cold and wet and felt completely defeated. I also missed my time goal by 15 minutes.

What I plan to do:Enjoy the day. Smile. High-five people who are cheering. Cross the finish line with a HUGE smile on my face even if it’s an hour slower than my last marathon time! Finishing happy = a PR in my books 🙂

If you’ve ran more than one marathon what kinds of things did you learn from your first training cycle that allowed you to apply more "moderation" to your next one?

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