No Single Approach Will Work...

While away at my work conference I'm determined to try different approaches to stay consistent with training; especially since I tend to eat a lot more than I normally do when I go to conferences (free food that tastes great tends to do that to me). So this morning I was up early and in the resort gym for some cross training...

I tried to take a "gym selfie" as workout proof but they all made me look awkward. Or, more accurately, I might actually look that awkward while working out but there's no need to post those Kodak moments here so this is the best I can do...

(They had free apples so of course I ate one)

Tales From The Road...

Greetings from Colorado!!!

Today started at 3am and I've been going non-stop since then. But even though I was up at three, I didn't anticipate how hectic my morning was going to be: 

1. Flight delay 

2. Unplanned terminal sprints through Dallas airport 

3. Getting to the gate with 1 minute to spare only to have the gate agent tell me that she closed the flight early (I was still able to get on thankfully)

4. Finally getting to my final destination... without my bag 

5. Airline being "unsure of where it is"

It's just been one of those days. But on the up side, the conference resort is gorgeous and there is a running path right by it!!!

Did You Run Today?

This morning I did a 45 minute out and back run. It's been a while since I've run for time (normally I set distance goals) but I really think having a mix of timed and distance runs adds a nice variety to my training...

As the countdown to the NY marathon continues I find myself analyzing my training a lot. There are 16 training weeks left before New York...

A Summer of Virtual Challenges...

I might have gone a teeny tiny bit overboard with my virtual challenges. I'm currently participating in three of them; but thankfully I only had to pay for one, and most of the activities and requirements overlap.

This past week was the first week of the Amerithon Challenge (which started on July 4th)...

This is a 3,521 mile virtual journey from the West coast to the East coast and I want to finish it by the end of the year (which is a very lofty goal since I am doing it by myself instead of with a group). The race organizers allow you to count any "movement miles" so I'm counting running, walking, swimming and the indoor cardio stuff I do, like the stair climber, upright and recumbent bikes, elliptical etc. I'm counting walking (including my daily steps) because I'm intentional about completing at least 10,000 steps a day. And since I also participate in a step challenge (aka virtual challenge #2) I have extra motivation to get up and move so I can reach the 10K step goal. 

At the end of the Amertithon Week 1 I got my first virtual badge...

..and I'm about 93 miles away from reaching my next landmark.

Heroes, Hydration & Challenges...

As much as I agree that you have to find your own motivation to train, there are certain mornings when I'm only able to get through my long run because of my running buddies (aka my "running heroes"). Recently I've been doing my long runs on Saturdays with Dafney (who has been helping me with my pacing and endurance), but this morning I ran with other running heroes (Andy, Tabitha and Suzanne) for my Sunday long run.

The group was scheduled to do 11 miles but I ended up doing 9 miles with them and then ran on by myself for another 3 miles...