Hey there! I can’t believe just a few weeks ago I ran SeaWheeze in Vancouver. I signed up for the race nearly a year ago so the fact that it has already come and gone seems totally surreal. Not to mention, so much in my life has changed since I registered for the race last fall. (For those not aware, I moved from Kansas to Portland!)
This spring, Garmin announced their newest fitness gadget, the Forerunner 935. The watch includes GPS, heart rate, altimeter and barometer. The 935 also has smartwatch capabilities. It tracks a number of cardio activities including cycling, swimming, hiking and running — just to name a few. These features make the watch appealing for triathletes and multi-sport athletes. The watch can additionally estimate VO2 Max and connect to the Strava App to further provide training feedback. More on how the watch helps you train can be found here.
I can’t believe my last race of the season is over. Fall race season was quick this year. It’s funny, I said Lexus Laceup would be my last so that I could focus on the wedding but last night, I sat in bed Googling races and contemplating if I had one more left in me (typical).
There is something about a fresh-off-the-rack new race day tank that gets me super pumped to run thirteen point one. So I headed over to lululemon Leawood to get race ready and do a little collaboration featuring their fall goodies.
I’m super excited to announce that I’m the 2016 Go Girl Run Race Ambassador alongside Chasing Davies.
I did this race last year and let me tell ya, they have the best post race #eeeats! RWTC is the major fundraiser for Queen of the Holy Rosary School. The race is part of the Heartland 39.3 series so 500+ usually run the half. The majority run the 5k. This race also has the cutest swag: tech shirt + medal. @QueenietheCow is the official race mascot. The race weekend forecast was nutty. At one point it said 100% severe weather. I prepared for the worst and had all my rain gear lined up and crossed my fingers it wouldn’t be rained out. Long story short, my “no rain” dance worked and we had a dry race.
More than anything, people have been asking me about hydration and fueling, which is always a hard question for me to answer. Although there are plenty of scientific examinations of fueling and hydration strategies, there is no universal practice or formula. What works for one person might not work best for you. Every runner is unique.
It had been a long time since my last race. Over 3 months. I was pretty nervous because I didn’t follow a strict training plan. Usually I run 3+ times a week and mix in cross training but this winter it was hard to pull it off. Instead, I relied heavily on high intensity workouts and my long runs. Both my running buddies accompanied me for the 12k – snaps to Mevans & Abies.
Rock the Parkway is a little over two months away so I figured I’d mention this race first. A lot of runners will tell you that this half marathon (or 5k) is a must. I participated in 2014 and ran for a friend that could no longer run. Race week for me was tough. We had just closed and moved into our new home only to discover that the floors had to be refinished, which meant we had to move out and live in a hotel for a week. It was one of the most stressful weeks of my life (long story). Unfortunately, race day was not easy for me either – I struggled almost the entire race. I was tired and most certainly had shin splints. I got almost the exact same time as my first half marathon and I was dissapointed. (I’m super competitive with myself.) My current PR is 1:45 but my time that day was a lot slower. Some days just aren’t your day!
So what the heck is a fartlek? Fartlek is Swedish for “speed play.” As a runner I am super familiar with this word and yes it still makes me laugh when I say it out loud. Unlike tempo and interval workouts the fartlek is unstructured. After you warm up, you play with speed by running faster for short periods of time followed by easy running for recovery. You can easily work this in during a training run or fun run. The goal is just to keep it free and unpredictable while pushing yourself during those speed bursts.
Sweat Adventures 