Join Me Weekly At Nike Run AND Walk Club at Assembly Row

Are you in the Somerville area? Have you been looking to get extra accountability to get out and run or walk?

Then look no farther than the Nike Run AND Walk Club every Wednesday night at 6:30pm at Assembly Row.

What a sweet looking crew right? :)

Each Wednesday the group tackles a 5k loop near the Assembly Row area in Somerville. The entire course is on a bike path so there are no street crossings. There is also a water fountain available twice on the first half of the course.

The group offers pacers for those running, run-walking or strictly walking.

ALL PACES ARE WELCOME!!

As I like to say no person is left behind.

One week I had the pleasure of pacing the group and made sure each person had a great time complete with high fives along the way.

Following the 5k, which starts and ends at the Nike Factory Store, Nike offers water and granola bars to refuel.

Once Slumbrew's American Fresh opens up at Assembly Row, I know I will be heading over there for a beer or two. ;)

My fellow Slumbrew Happy Soles and I! #SportTheFort

There is also free parking and at some point in the fall the orange line stop at Assembly Row should open, but Assembly Row is easily accessible via the orange line stops at Sullivan and Wellington.

So if you are a runner, run-walker or walker and want to meet some new workout buddies then join us each Wednesday at 6:30pm at Nike Factory Store at Assembly Row! :)

***

Will I see you one Wednesday?

Weight Watchers: More Than Just A Weight Loss Program

Why Weight Watchers?

Plain and Simple.

Okay okay there is more to it than that.

To me: Weight Watchers is MORE than a weight loss program ... far more.

What do I mean by this?

I have battled with weight problems my whole life - especially the mental issues that come along with it:

* Low self-esteem

* Binge eating

* Closet eating

* Emotional Eating

* Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia

* Depression

For years, I just wanted to be skinny and didn't care what it took to get there. I never thought the self-loathing and self-mutilation would ever end. I yearned for a place where I wouldn't feel like an outsider where people would understand what I was going through...

And then I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting on November 2, 2009.

Halloween 2009 - the picture that drove me into Weight Watchers open arms

The above picture was taken on a Saturday Night - Halloween 2009, showed up on Facebook on Sunday and I walked into my first Weight Watchers meeting on the Monday.

I clearly had tried losing weight on my own before. Heck I even attempted WW on my own in college with success, but it didn't stick.

What made the difference? Attending a meeting.

But why? How could 30 minutes with complete strangers alter my success with weight loss and beyond.

Well here's why:

1) Judgement Free Zone

This was the first place where I openly admitted to eating an entire box of Cheez-Its in about 20 minutes. And you know what? People understood. No one pointed or snickered at me. Instead people nodded and shared how they had their own "Cheez-Its" incidents.

Wow! I knew this would be a place where I would feel comfortable sharing my successes, but more importantly my slip-ups without a judgy eye asking why they heck I didn't just stop at one serving.

Ummm hi person - 1) a serving of Cheez-Its should really just be the entire box and 2) Once the box is open the Cheez-Its will go bad if I don't eat them all at once.

Duh!

Phew... moving on.

2) Support

I loved being in a room full of complete strangers yet feeling like I was with family.

I even made friends with two women - Casey and Naomi - who I would sit with every week. We would share our journeys, celebrate the ups and discuss the downs.

I can remember Casey and I each had our first gains on the same night. We had been doing WW maybe a month or so and we both went up. I was pouting in the back of the room with tears in my eyes and Casey was next to be bawling as well. C'mon, it can happen your first gain when you think you are going to lose every week. ;) But we both stuck through the meeting, let out the feelings and moved on. That one gain wouldn't keep us down and we had each other to lean on.

3) Motivation

Hearing others share their stories, struggles and celebrations kept me moving each week. I always tell my WW members:

When you are struggling, you need your meeting When you are doing well, your meeting needs you!

And it is true!

Not everyone in our every day life is going to understand our healthy lifestyle journey, but the folks in that room do. You have an instant cheerleading section.

4) The Leader

I was blessed with two amazing leaders in Chicago (both named Lisa).

Lisa, a WW member, Lisa & I at the Jennifer Hudson WW Center Opening in Chicago

These two women were great inspirations to me as well as wealths of knowledge. They would lend an ear when no one else would. They understood that it wasn't always about the cupcake, but the feelings behind the cupcake. As a leader you have been through the program before and you know that the game of weight loss is MORE than what you put in your mouth.

Having someone so accessible through email, Facebook, etc made me want to be that same kind of WW Leader, which is why I am so available to my members. I know that occasionally the only person we can truly turn to is a third party that gets it.

I get so excited when members tell me they leave the meeting room feeling motivated every week. It pumps me up and makes me want to have an awesome week myself.

I am a WW Leader to pay it forward. I want to share how important WW meetings are to me with them.

5) Tips & Tricks

To this day I leave a Weight Watchers meeting learning something new whether it be a product or an idea on how to handle emotional eating.

It was in a WW meeting room that I learned you can handle emotions without turning to french fries. YES I know. It was mind blowing. I thought food was the only thing to turn to, but it isn't. Through other WW members, I started an arsenal of ideas when the emotional eating started rearing it's ugly head: go for a walk, journal, talk to a friend, count to 10, if you are going to snack choose healthy options, etc.

Yes these sound like common answers, but I needed those ideas from others because I was sooo lost in my own problem. I needed options because let's face it when emotional going for a walk isn't always going to save the problem. Am I right?

So through the WW meetings I was able to stop learn to curb my emotional eating. But the biggest thing was recognizing the triggers. Before I would never stop to ask if it was real hunger or not, I would just dive in. Now I ask:

How am I feeling right now?

Then I can check to see if it is hunger or something deeper.

6) Being Honest

I have to 100% be honest with myself. This took me a long time to realize. Whether it be with my tracker, my head, my heart or my emotions. Lying to myself and saying everything is okay when it isn't - won't fix anything.

Thanks to WW, I have stopped lying to myself. I have learned that it's okay NOT to be okay. If I want to continue to have a balanced, healthy lifestyle, I need to continue to work on the mental side of weight loss as much as the physical - if not more.

Hitting goal didn't mean all the negative self-talk would magically go away. Far from it. I continue to work on nixing the negative with the help of WW and my meeting.

I can also say that I can count on one hand the number of relapses I have had with my bulimia since starting WW and for that I am eternally grateful to the program.

7) Love Clapping, Bling & Bravos

I never thought I would get such joy out of a tiny green star sticker that says BRAVO on it... but I do.

Like my BRAVO necklace?

Clapping for successes and bling to commemorate milestones. It all plays into my long-term success. Looking at them reminds me of how far I have come.

***

The love felt in a meeting room when a group is connecting, supporting and motivating each other is unparalleled. THAT is the feeling I bottle up after each meeting and keep in my back pocket for truly tough times. THAT is what has made a difference this time around and has helped me to push through the forest of maintenance.

Because there is always a Welcome Sign on one of those lime green chairs in a WW meeting letting me know I'm home!

Monday Musings: Forced Rest, #IceBucketChallenge, A Wedding & Beer

Mondays can be seen in one of two ways: the start to a week of endless possibilities or the worst thing in the world as the opening to the work week.

Let's make this Monday our b&%ch! ;)

I love using Monday as a time to reassess the previous week and come up with a game plan for the next seven days. But also to celebrate the good times. :)

This past week was full of ups and downs.

Let's get the downs out of the way ... quad injury! :(

On Thursday morning I received a shooting pain through my right quad. It was scary and was paralyzing (mainly from fear). The pain happened while I was stepping out of my house on the front steps. I am very lucky that the wife was there to calm me down and help me get past that first step.

After talking with my doctor/PT friends, it was dictated to take rest days. Eek! No I didn't want to especially with a sprint tri on Sunday. Well I listened to their advice.

Do you want your own Run All Day shirt from PavementRunner - order here!

Since then it has been a steady stream of icing, foam rolling, Zensah compression shorts, stretching and adhering to doctor's orders. It has been tough. Taking a DNS (Did Not Start) at the tri was frustrating, upsetting and difficult, but I know I need to be 100% for the Half Ironman on September 7 and a race now isn't worth risking that.

Ace Bandages + Compression Shorts = One Sexy Look

Thankfully each day the quads seem a little better and I am hoping I am on the upswing.

Now while I am having a hard time with the rest, I think the pups are really enjoying it.

Once again my nurse Laney sleeping on the job.

***

Now it was a tough eating weekend wise. I let some emotional eating in after the unexpected gain on the scale Friday. But really I had some cravings and I filled them. But my stomach let me know that I filled too many at one time. It was a little gut check that I needed. I was right back on track today and feeling good and more in control.

Go me!

***

On Friday, I was challenged by my cousin Jen to take part in the #IceBucketChallenge to raise awareness for ALS. Luckily I had an ice bath on the agenda any way so it was a good segway. :P

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***

As we know I have been keeping my craft beer drinking to the weekends the past couple of months so let me share the finds from this past weekend...

Lefty's Brewing Company out of Greenfield, MA

The wife and I obviously love Slumbrew, which is out of my hometown, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on the latest brew... and it was worth the wait! Delicious and how could you not enjoy it with the description:

Fresh air and the aromatic essence of Calypso, Ella and Pacific Jade hops fill the air  and lighten our hearts while this golden ale lightens our mood.

Somerville's own Slumbrew Island Day

***

The highlight of the week was my uncle's wedding in Western Mass. I even got to show the wife some of my favorite spots in Hampden, MA, including this lunch spot from my childhood. Mmmm french fries!

It was a gorgeous day Saturday for a beautiful wedding.

I was also able to spend the day with my Gramma, my Stroke Hero. She is the reason I am part of Tedy's Team and raise the money to #FightStroke! :)

It was a great day with family ... and I don't think anyone figured out that I was wearing compression shorts and ACE bandages under my dress. ;)

***

I would LOOOOVVEEE your daily vote in the following two Got Chocolate Milk contests… each ends on August 15!

Chocolate Milk Contest

^I have finally broken in to the Top Three!!! 1st prize is valued just over $5k, 2nd prize just under $1,900 and 3rd prize around $775. Holy cow they are sweet.

and

Team Chocolate Milk

^The prize? $500 in sponsorship money, which I will use to fund my first Ragnar Relay experience, new training gear and free race entries. Each time you vote $1 is donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. How awesome is that?

Thank you all so much!!!

***

What did you learn from this past week?

Face It Friday: Unexpected Gain 8/8/14

I'm grumpy! I yelled at the scale this morning. I called it some names that I am not proud of, but I did it.

Why?

Because of that stupid unexpected gain. You ever have one of those?

You do every. single. thing. right and how does the scale repay you????? By going in the wrong direction.

It's just rude. Plain and simple.

So I had my hissy fit (it was good one too). I got the emotions out and then I talked to myself like I would talk to one of MY Weight Watchers members.

^ The scale does NOT dictate my worth.

^ My BODY just happened to forget that it is supposed to weigh the lightest for the week at 6:25am on Friday! *How rude!*

^ A gain does not take away all of the good work I did the past week.

^ Unexpected gain does not give me liberty to say SCREW THE UPCOMING WEEK, but to buckle down and keep at it.

^ Focus on the positives from the past week...

So what are those positives?

** I tried my first Barry's Bootcamp class on Tuesday ... and lived to tell the tale about Butts & Legs!

** For the first time in weeks, I came out of the weekend WITHOUT being in the negative!! I was right at zero. :P

** I did my first 3-hour training bike ride - outside - by myself!

** I am listening to my body and taking a couple of much-needed rest days to try and fix these tight quads.

** I feel in control, lean and overall awesome! Clothes are loose again and I feel stronger in my workouts (pre-injury).

And the best of all...

** I am happy again! Through and through I am overall feeling more positive about life, which is a great bonus.

So if you ever have one of those weeks where the scale forgets to repay you for your hard work just remember: Your Check Is In The Mail!

The scale will catch up to your awesomeness.

But if for some reason it doesn't then simply remember:

***

Before I get back to icing my quads, I would LOOOOVVEEE your daily vote in the following two Got Chocolate Milk contests… each ends on August 15!

Chocolate Milk Contest

^I am currently in fourth place (by a lot I know), but the top three vote getters secure the prizes. 1st prize is valued just over $5k, 2nd prize just under $1,900 and 3rd prize around $775. Holy cow they are sweet.

and

Team Chocolate Milk

^The prize? $500 in sponsorship money, which I will use to fund my first Ragnar Relay experience, new training gear and free race entries. Each time you vote $1 is donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. How awesome is that?

Thank you all so much!!!

***

How do you get past an unexpected gain?

How To Prep For A Triathlon Transition

Signing up for the triathlon and training for it seemed like the easy part once I started thinking about how much STUFF is needed for Race Day and the transition area.

Where to begin?

Step One: Lay out everything I need for Race Day

I find it helpful to lay my gear out by category.

Category 1: Outfit.

My Got Chocolate Milk Tri Kit, my Garmin watch and aSparkle Athletic Skirt.

Not pictured Zensah sports bra.

This will be my base for the day, except I will NOT be wearing the Sparkle Athletic skirt in the water. 

Now not everyone will have a tri kit and that is A-okay! I didn't have one for the first year of racing in triathlons and only have one now thanks to Team Chocolate Milk! ;)

Category 2: Transition Area.

I love to use my Asics towel as my base. On top of that base goes all accessories, fuel and “just in case” stuff. I like to keep a water bottle, a handheld water bottle (if I want it for the run), a KIND bar, my ENERGYBits and sunglasses.

Category 3: The Swim.

So apparently I cut off the most important part of the swim attire – goggles. Ha. So my swim gear includes goggles, swim cap (usually one issued by the race itself), wetsuit and a towel to clear off my feet to transition to the bike.

Do you like the sweet Nestle towel I have? I got it when the Nesquik Bunny visited me back in March. 

Category 4: The Bike.

Once I maneuver the wetsuit off – hopefully without falling  – and the feet are dry, it is time to secure my Sparkly Soul headband before putting on my helmet. You can get penalized if you are moving with the bike and not having your helmet on so I make sure it is one of the first thing I put on for the bike.

With the helmet on, I will put on myZensah compression sleeves, attach my race belt which will already have my number on it and slip into the shoes.

NOW if you do not want to wear the race belt - again A-okay - you can also throw on a shirt or singlet during transition, which will already have the number pinned to it. This is your call and what you are more comfortable with.

I actually like to throw a singlet or tank on over my tri kit because well the tri kit isn't very flattering especially when went. :P

Category 5: The Run.

The final transition should be the easiest. Bike shoes and helmet off … visor and sneakers on.

Once I give everything a once over – adding the race bib and bike number – it all goes into my big IKEA bag (yup classy) and it sits by the front door. This way I won’t forget anything. I put everything in the bag by category, which makes setting up transition on race day a breeze.

I personally like bike gear closest to front of towel, food/energy/fuel in the middle and run farthest away. Play around with the set up of your transition area to see what works for you.

My bike helmet isn't in the transition picture since I keep it on the handlebars with my Garmin, which is already cued up to MultiSport. :)

It has taken me a few tries tris (see what I did there) to get it right, but now I have a good system. It is always up for tweaking, but I am getting into the groove.

***

I hope some of these tips can help you prep for your next triathlon.

Three Things Thursday: Book Edition

Books Books Books!!! I'm so excited to share what I've been reading with you all.

Now these books are not your kick back on a Sunday afternoon looking to escape reality type stories. We are growing our minds here people. It's time to get our learn on.

***

First up, it's Snack Girl to the Rescue! (value $17.99)

I've been following Lisa (aka Snack Girl) online (Twitter) for a few years so I was excited to check out her book.

In addition to dishing out 100 recipes (all under 400 calories), she shares her wisdom about weight loss, emotional eating, exercise, every day temptations, healthy cooking, as well as food marketing. Lisa, who is a mom of two, offers a friendly, witty and encouraging tone to her advice.

As a proponent of healthy living over "dieting," I agree with many of the points that Lisa brings up throughout Part 1 - Encouragement and Guidance - of the book.

When discussing creating a workout routine, she suggests:

Begin to see exercise as a gift to yourself rather than a burden

AMEN SISTER!! I love it and something I tell my Weight Watchers members often.

Speaking of Weight Watchers, Lisa offers the nutrition facts on all of her recipes, which made it easy for me to calculate the Points Plus Values. I made sure to calculate and write them on the recipes as soon as I received the book.

You can find the 100 recipes in Part 2 - Recipes (catchy I know) - of the book, which includes the philosophy behind her recipes, the recipes themselves, and a handy pantry list.

Instead of just giving you the facts for the recipes, Lisa shares a personal story or anecdote with each. For example, on her Beef and Veggie Cottage Pie (pg 178 - 5PPV per serving), she writes:

The original recipe was created to use up the leftover roast meat and potatoes from the night before. My version uses ground beer because most of us aren't eating beef roasts very often.

The recipe section is broken up into Breakfast, Mains, Sides, Snacks and Desserts. Oh be sure to check out the No-Bake Brownie Balls (2 PPV each) on page 253 and bring some by if you stop at my house anytime soon. ;)

So if you are looking for a relatable, realistic and entertaining recipe book, check out Snack Girl to the Rescue!

***

The best book on the list is one I have been holding on to since April and kept meaning to share, but those darn races were in my way. ;)

I give you The Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners!! (value $21.99)

The book is co authored by some heavy hitters in the running community: Bart Yasso, Jen Van Allen, and Amby Burfoot. Ummm exactly amazing.

Now when I started running I didn't know anything and didn't really know where to go for help. I really wish there was a book like this around in 2005. It even features five training plans to help you start exercising, start running, run nonstop, run faster, and run longer.

Additionally you can find inspirational stories from people who used running as a tool to lose weight, stop smoking, overcome illness and heartache, and manage chronic pain. Who doesn't love a motivational story?

There are three main parts to the book: Getting Started; Nutrition and Weight Loss; and Staying Healthy and Managing Injuries. These three authors pretty much run the gamut to cover any potential questions you may have.

In the Keys to Success (pg 56) within Chapter 2 (Become A Runner In Five Easy Steps) they stress being flexible. Now not physically, while I am sure that can help, but rather with the training plans.

Don't feel like you have to do these workouts on the days specified here. Do the workouts on whatever day gives you enough time to do the workout and clean up without feeling rushed.

Seems pretty basic, right? Well when I started out I thought I was an EPIC failure if I didn't follow the training plans to the letter. I've learned through the years that the plan is there for you to be tweaked as you/life needs it.

In addition to the mounds of information in my now overly highlighted copy, they even have a Guide To Common Running Terms. Thank you! So often people would be rattling off about fartleks, VO2 max and stride length and I would have ZERO idea what they heck they were talking about. Now you can find all those answers in once place.

I have recommended this book to countless newbie runners and even some folks like myself who think they know what is going on. Hey, I admit that I do not know a lot about running and will take all opportunities to learn and improve.

Pick up this book and you too can learn to "act like a runner even when you're not exercising!"

***

There is NO hiding it here on the blog that I am scared of my bike and not a fan of riding it outdoors that much. ;) I am working on it folks so when offered the chance to check out a couple cycling books I jumped pedaled at the chance.

The Big Book of Cycling for Beginners by Tori Bortman (value $21.99) and the Essential Road Bike Maintenance Handbook by Todd Downs (value $14.99).

The Big Book of Cycling for Beginners is breaking it down for us in topics like:

• Selecting a bicycle that best fits you and your needs • How to appropriately outfit yourself with gear and equipment • Basic riding and etiquette skills, including how to navigate traffic • The anatomy of a bicycle and its various components • Body tune up for greater endurance, strength, and speed • Training and Nutrition • Maintaining your bike, how to perform routine repairs

The 10-Part book really takes you from deciding what type of biker you are planning to be - Recreational Rider, Fitness Cyclist or Racing Cyclist - to tuning your own ride - what you can control and what the experts at the bike shop should handle.

I personally spent most of my time in Part 7 - Well, How Do You Do? Road Etiquette - as I haven't spent a ton of time on the open streets with my bike Roxie. Like did you know there are not only hand signals for signaling and stopping, but potholes, narrowing roads and parked cars? Yeah I definitely didn't. Now I know the arm signals as well as the "shout-out" for each. These are especially important when riding in a group.

I also took my highlighter out for most of Part 10 - Tuning Your Ride - as I have so much to learn about bike maintenance. There are so many parts that need attention on one lovely bike: chains, wheels, frames, etc.

But, if the Big Book of Cycling doesn't offer enough on Bike Maintenance, there is the Essential Road Bike Maintenance Handbook.

Readers will find a comprehensive guide to bike repair and simple solutions to common problems riders regularly face. With step-by-step instructions and links to various how-to videos via Bicycling.com, this handy guide will save money and aggravation by distilling core bike-maintenance fundamentals.

This book is so helpful that I've been known to shove it into the back bag under my bike seat just in case. You never know when something can go wrong. Am I right?

So for my fellow newbies, I plead you to pick up the Big Book of Cycling for Beginners - you won't be disappointed.

***

Have you read or used any of the books I mentioned?

I'm Heading to Runner's World Festival with Discount Codes

I'm heading to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in October!!! HOLLAAAHHHHH!!

But why am I going there?

The Runner's World Half & Festival baby - October 17-19! Woo!

How did I get so lucky?

Well when I was happily enjoying a great weekend at the Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival in Boston in June I won the twitter contest going on amongst the bloggers.

How could I not with such lovely gems like the one above? ;)

The prize? An invitation to the Runner's World Half & Festival in October. YAY!!

That’s me hugging the Runner’s World PR folks as a Thank You

You know I gave Runner's World a big Hell Yeah that I would be there. This will be my first time at the Runner's World Festival.

***

What will the Festival/courses include?

The racecourses feature Bethlehem's historic neighborhoods, including some of the town's original 1741 settlement, two renowned colleges, Lehigh University and Moravian College, and the former Bethlehem Steel complex–where the backbone of the nation was literally forged.

The festival weekend next year will include:

• Seminars
• Live music
• Running films
• Prerace dinner with Runner's World editors
• Kids races and children's programming (Saturday)
• 5K and 10K races (Saturday)
• Dog run (Saturday)
• Half marathon (Sunday)

Now I watched the kids races and dog run in June at Heartbreak Hill Festival and they were ADORABLE and MOTIVATING! I highly recommend checking both out.

But, we are really going for the running, right?

***

Here's the sked:

Saturday, October 18 5k – 8am 10k – 9:30am

Sunday, October 19 Half Marathon – 8am

So who is up for a challenge or two? Runner’s World has your back. You can take your pick from:

**The Five & Dime, where you take on the back-to-back 5k and 10k on Saturday

or

**The Hat Trick, where you tackle the 5k, the 10k and come back on Sunday for a little Half Marathon

Can you all guess which one I am taking on? Yeah you all know me and my love of bling … so Hat Trick it is.

Oh did I forget to mention the bling? Yes, each race includes a sweet little Finisher’s medal. Calling all bling lovers!!

Heartbreak Hill Hat Trick Bling

***

Now for the good part… I am happy to offer you all – my amazing readers and social media friends – some discounts for the weekend.

There are five different codes available – all good for 10% off your registration for:

So now I need to know – will I see you out in Pennsylvania October 17-19? If so, which distance(s) are you tackling?

T-minus 1 month 'til that little Half Ironman

Have I told you lately I am training for a Half Ironman? OOOOHHHH have I been too subtle with my postings? Man I thought that would happen. ;)

No really, I continue to say the words, see the workouts happen and tick the days off until the big day is here, but I am still living in a world where it doesn't seem real.

Does that even make sense?

Wow I am throwing a ton of questions at you guys RIGHT off the bat today. Sorry about that.

For those that are new to the blog - HEEYYYY!!!! welcome welcome - I am taking on my first Half Ironman at Pumpkinman on September 7 in Maine. Here were my thoughts from July 7 - 2 months 'til the big day.

Now we are just one month until Race Day.

Why am I freakin' out? 

This is sooo far out of my comfort zone that I am plain old scared.

The biggest fear? Being swept! Yup, I am paralyzed with fear that I will be swept off the course after all this work I put in. The course limit is 8 hours.

I am a worrier by nature so you can guess that most of my workouts are spent breaking down how slowly I can do each section in order to finish in time.

After talking with friends and looking at my own times during workouts, I don't really think a sweep will happen - but you NEVER know what can happen on race day. So the fear is still there.

All I can do on race day is try my hardest whatever happens will happen. Can you tell I have been reciting that over and over again?

Every time I start freakin' out I remind myself why I signed up for this crazy thing to begin with ... to 1) push myself our of my comfort zone and 2) have fun! Ohhhh this is all supposed to be fun? Right right. Sometimes I forget that.

I wish I had a coach to bounce my questions off of and to make sure the training I am doing is correct. Am I doing enough? Too much? Just right?

But for now I just trust the book I am using and reach out to my experienced friends for help.

How is training going?

The training itself is actually okay. It is trying to fit all the workouts in to the week that is the toughest. I have been tweaking my work day to fit in an afternoon workout then will finish work in the evening.

I do need to work on more BRICK workouts in this final month - making sure my legs are used to running after biking.

I also need to spend more time stretching. I had a scary shooting pain in my right quad today that left me paralyzed on the front steps of my house for a couple of minutes - scary!! So stretching, icing, heating, etc are all high priority down the stretch...

SWIM

I love swimming so the swim workouts in the pool are actually enjoyable. Not sure I am doing the speed work fast enough, but I am giving my 100% every time I get into the pool.

I think down the stretch I will need to spend a little more time in the open water in my wetsuit to get used to swimming in it. I don't find it as enjoyable as swimming in the tri kit/bathing suit - which shocks me now.

I did successfully swim 96-consecutive lengths of the pool and lived to tell the tale.

The Half Ironman swim is 1.2 miles and I swam almost 1.5, which put me at ease. I kept the pace nice and moderate and felt strong the entire time. Now if only I had a bunch of other folks in the pool trying to kick and punch me while swimming in the same direction in order to experience race conditions. ;)

Big thanks to my parents for starting my swim lessons at age six months for my love of the water.

BIKE

My weakest and most hated portion of the triathlon. :P I have so much fear on the bike - flipping over the handlebars, tipping over while trying to grab my water bottle, flying off the bike while sailing quickly down the downhill, etc.

You know the normal bike fears - ohhh I am the only one thinking I will crash and burn every time they get on the bike? Yeah I figured. It's okay.

I am proud of myself for getting out last week and doing my 3 hour training ride outside and solo.

The bike portion of the Half Ironman is 56 miles.

I know this will be my slowest portion and one I pray to make it through.

I will say that thanks to training and Spin classes I am feeling slightly stronger on the bike, especially when facing the large hills.

But I really do not enjoy it. I want to badly, but the entire 3-hour ride I wished I was running. :P Maybe with more practice and less fear the love will appear, but for now I plug through the rides and am thankful for being healthy enough to bike.

RUN

If you read this blog you know that this is clearly my favorite section of the triathlon. :) Well it is my comfort zone. During Iron Girl Webster Sprint Tri in July, I celebrated lacing up my sneakers and heading out for the run.

Now I know this won't be a PR half at the end of the Half Ironman, but I hope that it will be easiest to push through since I love running.

My long runs haven't truly been happening during this training as I am nursing a left hamstring injury, but I am still trying to get out there and keep some miles on the legs. Hence why there haven't been as many BRICK workouts as there should be.

But, I do feel pretty conditioned on the running side from all of my racing so far in 2014.

***

So what will push me through the race besides a sense of accomplishment and badass-ery? A sweet sweet medal.

Thanks to my friend Lisa for sharing her medal from 2011

Hellooo bling!

***

So what will the last month of training bring?

More mental work. I am doing all I can physically, but I need to get the positive, confident, brainspace to push through a long race day. Plus I need to trust in the training.

Ramp up my low-fat chocolate milk intake of course! ;)

Oh and remember I need to give it all I can on that day ... and E-N-J-O-Y it!

***

How do you get mentally tough for a new fitness challenge?

How To Take The Perfect Mid-Run Selfie ... And Post It!

"How do you take selfies while running?" "Wait did you just post a selfie to Instagram during the race?"

"Don't you trip or fall while taking those mid-run selfies?"

Have you thought or actually asked me any of these question on social media or in real life?

Well, it's finally time for me to share my secrets...

Get ready internet, you are about to be FULL of mid-run selfies!

Well well well where to start?? Do I need to define what a selfie is? I'm hoping I can gloss right over that part.

Let's start with...

Why

Why did I start doing this? There were a few reasons.

I hated waiting for official race photos to come online to include in recaps/sharing on social media.

I was bored with pre and post race shots - it was getting boring. Plus, I can only pose so many ways before and after a race. ;)

I wanted something to compliment the twitter/Facebook updates I was doing mid-race.

I needed extra motivation during a run and posting a picture allowed my online friends to send in some encouragement!

Mile 5 of a very hot & humid Finish At The 50 10k (2014)

Or letting everyone know how much fun I am having mid-race :)

Mile 4 of the 2014 Boston Run To Remember Half

It is also a great way to showcase who I am running with...

Mark Remy from Runner's World at Heartbreak Hill Half 

Once I got the hang of it, it became really fun and now I just feel weird if I don't have some mid-run selfies happening.

When

This can vary from race to race and practice run to practice run.

I started by taking them at significant points in the race: 5k mark, 10k mark, halfway, new distance record, etc.

2014 Boston Athletic Association 10k

Or if you want to announce to your followers that you are actually running the marathon rather than the half marathon you said you were. :P

2014 Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon

If you are also near a famous landmark either from your own life or for the city/race you are running in then you would want to capture those scenes with a selfie.

Speedway during 2014 WDW Marathon

If you happen to come across a famous person or a couple of friends and you want to document the experience, selfie it.

Patriots HOFer Tedy Bruschi & I during 2014 Boston Marathon

Ladies of We Run Disney during 2014 WDW Marathon

How

The real reason you are tuning into this post. Now there are action mid-run selfies and stationary mid-run selfies. I'll speak to both below.

Also, I take my photos with my phone. I have some talented friends out there (Fannetastic Food) who takes mid-race seflies with a real camera. I'm not there yet.

Step One: Look around at your surroundings

Safety first my friends for action selfies. Make sure you don't have any potholes in front of your or a group of runners that you could potentially bump into or trip over. Let's keep a clear area around us.

For example, a downhill may not be the best place to choose to selfie IF you are doing it on the move.

If taking a stationary mid-run selfie, be sure to get over to the side of the road and out of the way of other runners. Let's not piss off 20,000 of our friends because we caught a hilarious race sign we just needed a pic with. M'kay?

Step Two: Have the phone at the ready

I used to run with my phone in an arm band, but realized I was taking it out so much for texting/tweeting/Facebooking and pics that it was becoming a nuisance. So for the past few months, I have been running with my phone in my hand or tucked into my running shorts, which ever was more comfy at the time (and depending on length of race).

For shorter races I definitely say keep the phone in the hand as the opportunity for the mid-run selfie is less than a longer run. But if you absolutely cannot run with a phone in hand then armband or waistband it up folks.

Since REALLY the focus is on the race and not the picture ... or so I've been told.

Just make sure the phone is handy since photo ops can happen at any point in time.

Step Three: Take the password protection off the phone

This is something I have yet to remember to do. That's right folks. Every time I go to take a picture mid-race I have to enter in my stupid iPhone code. Please be smarter than me and dismantle pre-race.

Now I know you can take a picture without doing the code on the iPhone BUT if you want to post it right after taking it you would still have to enter the code. But more on posting the pic on the move later.

Step Four: Remember to switch the camera view to selfie

I can't stress the importance of having the camera actually looking at YOU for the selfie. Hey! Things can happen mid-race and the brain isn't thinking straight.

Step Five: Clue in your running partner

If you are taking an action photo with a friend or celebrity, be sure to give them the heads up so they to are looking at your phone.

Heather & I during Nike Run Club

My friends know the drill well enough that they suggest when we should snap them. :)

My BFF & I during 2014 Old Port Marathon

Step Six: Hold the phone just above your head and angle towards you slightly

Now I normally use just my right hand/arm while taking the pics, but if cold or having a hard time gripping my phone then I will use the double arm tactic. I find that if I do the two arms it does hinder my running. :P

Snack break during Black Cat 20-Miler (2014)

Step Seven: Snap 3-5 pictures

Rarely does a mid-run selfie come out on first take. Since you don't want to risk ending up with a dud while rocking the peace sign along the water, take some extras - moving the arm ever so slightly during the "photo shoot." ;)

Note: Fitsnap was added to this photo POST race

There have been some SERIOUS duds on my phone over the past year, but those thankfully don't see the light of day. ;)

And there you have it!! Seven quick steps to your own mid-run selfie.

PointOneMiles & I during 2014 Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half

Since you have the shots, you can go ahead and save those to enjoy post-run oorrr....

you can take it to the next level:

Posting While Running

Now that I have my great pic, I want to share with my friends and family, which can take a little more skill.

Step One: Get a handle on texting/tweeting/Facebooking while running

Typing while running is NOT an easy feat. The iPhone autocorrect feature can help or seriously hinder a post. :P Practice running around your apartment or neighborhood to get used to looking at the phone and at the ground. Again we are focusing on safety first friends.

Step Two: Use the hashtags BEFORE the race starts

If you are looking to tag a certain race or fitness group then you need to have the hashtags already stored in your Instagram!! As long as you have used the hashtag prior and Instagram has managed not to crash in the meantime, you will have an easier time pulling up a hashtag on the move.

Step Three: Make sure Instagram is connected to Twitter

If you like to add a nice filter/border before posting then uploading the photo right to Instagram will help with that.

2014 WDW Marathon

Next up will be posting it to Twitter and you can do that right from Instagram.

Now many folks will post a photo to Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr from Instagram. I use Instagram for Twitter and Tumblr.

So if you have your short message ready in Instagram, you are good to hit send and out it goes to Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook.

I do Facebook separately. I will select all then copy the message on Instagram then paste into my blog's Facebook page.

And there you have it!!!

You now have the main tips and tricks to taking and posting your own mid-run - action or stationary - selfies.

Please remember the number one rule: safety first!!

***

Have you dared to mid-run selfie before?

Monday Musings: Relaxing Weekend, Team Chocolate Milk Voting & Fit Plus Wear Review

Weekends make the weekdays bearable, right? Then whhhyyy must they zoom by? Each and every time! But I am thankful for whatever time I can have with family and friends. :) It is such a blessing to have the time to be with them.

So how did this past weekend look?

***

Let's start with the workouts:

Friday - a tough tough run, which ended with a mini meltdown. I must remember that the bad runs make the good runs even better. :0)

Saturday - a ego-boosting swim ... I felt great and was excited for the longest-consecutive swim in training!

Sunday - a 3-hour training bike ride ... I did it all by myself and wished the entire time I was out running. :P Maybe someday I will learn to love the bike.

I am thankful that this upcoming week is a "recovery week" on the training plan, which means workouts are a little less intense and I might have a full on rest day! Yay! :)

***

For the past 7-8 weeks, I have been saving my beer and wine for the weekend - aka #DrinkEnd! Here are the two delicious brews I enjoyed this weekend.

Somerville's own Pretty Things Beer

Port Brewing Mongo IPA out of my Old Port Half mug

***

Unfortunately the wife injured her back on Sunday morning during a run so we had a low-key rest of the weekend. Really the weekend as a whole was pretty low-key outside of the workouts and I kinda loved it. Such a rare sight for us to not be running from event to event. I know so popular right? Haha. JK. :0)

But Saturday we did make it over to Assembly Row to check out Assembled and Pet Palooza. It was overcast and rainy, but seeing the pups compete was worth it. :)

***

Final three random thoughts/asks from the weekend:

1) I would LOOOOVVEEE your daily vote in the following two Got Chocolate Milk contests... each ends on August 15!

Chocolate Milk Contest

^I am currently in fourth place (by a lot I know), but the top three vote getters secure the prizes. 1st prize is valued just over $5k, 2nd prize just under $1,900 and 3rd prize around $775. Holy cow they are sweet.

and

Team Chocolate Milk

^The prize? $500 in sponsorship money, which I will use to fund my first Ragnar Relay experience, new training gear and free race entries. Each time you vote $1 is donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. How awesome is that?

Thank you all so much!!!

2) There are just 6 spots left in the F.A.S.T. (Fighting Against Stroke Together) Virtual 5k/10k run/walk/bike!! Registration ends August 10... :)

3) Thanks to my friend Larisa from 0to26point2 I was able to test out the Fit Plus Wear Sound Solution compression capris (Value $88).

I love that the Fit Plus Wear company is led by a power duo of two female athletes and moms. They want to reach every woman and offer sizes from XXS-3XL. I am wearing size Medium in the picture below.

These moisture wicking and antimicrobial slimming compression capri pants offer a revolutionary way to carry your cell phone or MP3 device while you workout! Equipped with a sweat-proof, bounce proof, fall proof pocket you now can walk or workout hands free and worry free! It’s our Sound Solution- a pocket with a plus!

If you want to check out these awesome pants, use code 2HE90CGR5Y4U at checkout.

***

Oh oh oh one more thing ;) I guest posted over at my boy Nathan's blog - The Fotographing Fat Kid - about my Top Threeve Weight Loss Lessons. Check it out!

Now back to my regularly scheduled Monday ... where did I put that training plan? :P