Garmins & Upcoming Giveaway!

Tuesday: 6 mile run outside
Wednesday: 1 hour kickboxing class

Tuesday night there was no track work out.

You know I love the track, so this totally bummed me out at first.

But then I heard that a Garmin Rep would be at Mojo so we could test some watches.

Since mine continues to look like this:

I was excited to see some newer models, my Forerunner 305 is probably about 6 years old. We didn't get test the brand new Garmin 220 and 620 which was a little disappointing. 

 It was nice to change it up on a Tuesday night, and with my next half marathon this weekend, no track work out wasn't such a bad thing. We also got to see the new Premier Physical Therapy location in the Mojo triplex. This place is going to be amazing! On Saturdays after running club they are going to have ice baths, stretching and other PT services available.

I think I'll wait at least til spring for my first ice bath!

Spin classes are also being offered. They will have a handful of spin bikes but also have trainers so you can do the class on your own road or tri bike. They are also offering bike storage and valet. Brilliant!

I did my first Kickboxing class at a boxing gym last night.

Holy amazing!

I'll give you a rundown on that next week.

Also next week a giveaway is coming! Here's a hint:

I might be just a little obsessed! Check back next week!

Weekend Review: Lululemon Run Om Cincy

Saturday: 13.5 mile run, 90(?) minutes of yoga

I successfully cut back on running last week and gave myself a few complete days of rest.

While my foot is still a little sore, I believe it paid off since I was able to run over 13 miles on Saturday!

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 4:50 a.m. 

Yikes!

Luckily, it was for an absolutely epic event!

The local Lululemon stores put on an entirely free event called Run Om Cincy.

You had the option of running from one of 3 locations for distances of 6, 3, or 1 miles to Great American Ballpark (home of the Reds!) then participating in a 90 minute yoga class on the baseball outfield. If running wasn't your thing, you could just show up at the baseball field for yoga. So many options - definitely something for everyone!

I met my friend Emily at her house at 6, then we ran to the Hyde Park Square Lululemon (1 mile)

We then checked in and waited for the official start at 6:30 before running with the group to GABP.

Lululemon provided yoga mats for all of the runners.
Once everyone got settled, we started our yoga. Several different instructors lead different segments of the class.

It was an absolutely beautiful morning and it was so neat to be lying on a yoga mat in the middle of the outfield.

 Halfway through the class we attempted to break the world record for the number of people doing headstands at one time. The current record was 265. Over 2000 people were participating, so hopefully at least 266 of them were able to do headstands.
I am not one of them.

After yoga we ran back home. They provided bus transportation, but we wanted more mileage and it just felt silly to take bus back!

We ended up running 13.5 miles total. I didn't use my watch for the run to the Lululemon store in the morning, so it was off by a mile.

It was so much fun to see so many people coming together to participate. I hope they do this again next year!

Saturday night we were substitutes on our friend's bowling league.
My husband bowled a 253 one game. Seriously!

Apparently I married a pro bowler!

 The weekend was rounded out with errands, football, meeting up with a friend and this amazing pumpkin turkey chili simmering on the stove Sunday night.
Hello, fall!

Finally Friday

Thursday: Body Blast class at lunch, 3 run mile outside

I planned to attend Body Blast at lunch yesterday and just modify anything that would put too much pressure on my foot; however I ended up doing class just the way it was set up.

Which was a lot of running and lunges.

We went outside again and did lunges, overhead presses and side steps with a weight along the walking path. Then we did sets of sprints, then back to the lunges, etc. And of course we finished up inside with a million core exercises.

Thankfully my foot felt OK. 

 So why not add some running in after work? 

Kelly and I went for a short 3 mile run and took our time. I didn't want to push it since we had sprinted at lunch time too. (Yes, she does Body Blast class with me too!)

I'm still icing at night and I am officially over halfway finished with my steroid Rx.

The swelling is down, but there is still some mild pain and the tendon is red.

Hopefully that red part is normal! It was blue/purple last weekend.

I have a fun event I'm participating in tomorrow morning, so I hope I can make it through!

Here's a hint to the event tomorrow morning!

Source

Weekend Review: Better Late Than Never!

Saturday: 9.75 mile run outside

It's sad that after 4 days of no posting, I only have one work out to post.

We will get to that in a minute though.

Friday night we had very heavy rain and wind so I was a little worried about what the morning would have in store for us. Luckily it only sprinkled some. Other than that it was great weather for running.

A Physical Therapy group was waiting for us when we returned from our run to treat any of us that have issues or just help stretch us out. I decided to ask about my calf since it's been bothering me off and on for over a month now.

Turns out I am not crazy and there is definitely an issue.

The PT massaged it and tried to release the muscle. It helped quite a bit, but it's such a mess that he suggested Trigger Point Dry Needling. Yeah, I didn't know what it was either!

I haven't decided to pursue this option yet, but I may.

Saturday night we watched the Crew beat the Chicago Fire 3-0!

Then Sunday morning it was up bright and early to tailgate for the Bengals game.

It was one CRAZY game.

One of the craziest and most fun football games I have ever been to.

After my run Saturday my foot was REALLY bothering me. Walking around at the stadiums Saturday and Sunday was very painful. I could pinpoint exactly where the pain was coming from so I automatically worried it was a stress fracture.

Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be a stress fracture - just really bad tendinitis.

I'm icing, "cutting back" on running and taking a steroid in hopes of flushing out the inflammation as quickly as possible.

*"cutting back" were the exact words the doctor used, therefore I fully intend on still running this week.

Fingers crossed since my next race is in a week and a half!

My first trail half marathon!

I have done a 20K trail race before, but that's just shy of a half marathon!

I go back to the doctor on Monday to confirm that it's not a stress fracture (they don't always show up on the x-ray right away).

It was definitely a sports-centric weekend for us. Good thing we both love soccer and football and attending games!

Weekend Review: Grandpa turns 91!

Saturday: 5 mile run outside, TIU thigh workout x 3

This weekend we didn't have much on the agenda, which was a nice change of pace for us.

Of course, we still managed to stay busy!

Saturday I headed out to run much later than normal. A lot of the women from my running club were out of town for a race, so I took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in a little. It was also MUCH cooler, so sleeping in gave it a little time to warm up outside too.

Yes, 45 degrees at 8:37 in the morning. Hello, fall!

I decided to just run in my neighborhood. I haven't done that in a while, wanted to stay close and thought the rolling hills would be good training for me. I set out for the 2.5 mile loop. I planned on doing that a few times then adding some more, depending on how I felt.

The last .75 of the second loop my calf was screaming at me - I had even worn my compression socks too. I think it was the hills that it did not like. I have mostly been running fairly flat courses lately.

 After my failed run K and I went to the gym.

I did the TIU thigh work 3 times through and ended with a few arm exercises too.

This week I am going to try to lay off the running just a bit and see how it feels. Boo!

Saturday night we celebrated Grandpa's 91st birthday! The family went to Valley Vineyards for dinner. It was a beautiful night out which was perfect since you grill your own fish or steak at the vineyard! They have everything you need to grill and the sides and dessert are buffet style.

It was such a fun and unique dinner!

Sunday was spent doing errands and cleaning and also watching our nephews play baseball.

We had so much fun at both of their games. The weather was incredible and we got to play tag and football and also chat with our family.

Lily and Carson cheering on Danny as he bats!

Such a fun weekend!

A Trip to Young's Jersey Dairy

Monday: TIU thigh work out (x 3), 3 mile run outside

 It was super hot - 93 degrees on our run last night, so we just took our time.

There's not much else you can do when the temperatures soar. 

Ben and I hadn't run together in a few weeks so it was good to catch up. His wife joined us on her roller blades so of course we were heckled about being so slow.

My quads were burning at the beginning of our run. We always start uphill and we also had a headwind to contend with.

It was only 3 miles, but we were very happy to be finished and get some water!

Over the weekend we visited Yellow Springs and Young's Jersey Dairy.

It's been on our list of things to do since K had never been and we both love a good ice cream place!

It is a working dairy farm with tons of activities!

You can watch them milk the cows, feed and pet the goats.

It's all fun an games until you think a goat is about to eat your hair!

They also have miniature golf, batting cages and seasonal activities such as a corn maze and pumpkin patch.

We ate our ice cream so fast that we didn't get any pictures - oops!

If you order the flavor of the week, you get your second dip free! You better believe I took advantage of that - especially since last week's flavor was cookies and cream! Yum!

We were a little obsessed with the animals, but all the other activities looked fun too!

I see many more trips to Young's Dairy in our future!

Dance Party With a Toddler

Thursday: Body Blast at lunch, 3 mile run outside after work

Today will be a much needed day of rest, yesterday totally kicked my booty!

I quickly realized Wednesday night that jump roping was NOT a good idea for my calf.

It hadn't been bothering me much at all, so I didn't even think about it while I was jumping.

I managed to get through Body Blast without doing any alternatives and sucked it up for a quick 3 mile run after work.

I've been loving these shorts from Target.

They are super comfy, wide waist band and i love the gray in the back and black in the front.

And I wore them for my 4 minute and 40 second half marathon PR!

 

Now it's back to almost 24/7 compression wear though. Ugh!

I did spend the rest of the evening in the most comfortable running pants I own.

Gap gfast leggings

The actual ones I have are no longer available - I got them on clearance, but they are the gfast lightweight ones. They are amazingly soft and comfy. 

 Mine have these awesome stripes on them too. I'm pretty sure K made fun of them last night, but I love them.

I spent the rest of the evening with this lovely little lady.

We played and danced, danced and danced some more. We were laughing so hard and her laugh is just so contagious. For some reason I taught her how to do "the car wash" dance. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. She's quite a little dancer!

I loved watching her show her mom and dad her new dances moves when they came home!

Next time you've had a rough day or in a bad mood, grab the nearest toddler and teach them your favorite dance moves from the 1970s! It's sure to put a smile on your face.

And that was definitely a third work out for the day. I was exhausted!

Enjoy your weekend!

Weekend Review: Labor Day Shenanigans

Saturday: 5.6 mile run outside; weights at gym
Monday: Elliptical and weights at gym

Oh, I LOVE long weekends, but I absolutely dislike the day after long weekends!

Oh, well, they are inevitable, so might as well make the most of them!

We started off the weekend with a date to the movies.

Source

We don't often go to the movies, but we do enjoy it when we do.

I just can't wrap my head around spending so much money to be annoyed by people kicking my chair, using their cell phones and talking when i could enjoy the movie in just a few months from the comfort of my living room.

#iamanoldlady

We were in the mood for a comedy, and We're The Millers did not disappoint!

**If you are easily offended or did not enjoy The Hangover or Bridesmaids, this movie is probably not for you**

Saturday morning was a very humid run. I saw lightening on my way to run and during the run I was hoping it would start raining. I got to run with Sarah and my friend Helen who I have not seen since I got married! It was fun to chat and catch up while we sweated buckets.

First run in my new purple Kinvaras

Finally got to try out the new Kinvaras I bought a few weeks ago.

Totally love these shoes. I think this is my 5th pair of Kinvaras. They are amazing.

After running I picked up K and we headed to the gym together.

He got in some cardio while I did some some TIU toning.

We also went on a little trip up to Columbus to cheer for the Crew (and to see Clint Dempsey #2). It's a shame he plays for the wrong team! There was an almost 2 hour delay due to lightening. Thankfully before the game we fueled up on Jeni's ice cream. Doesn't K look so thrilled that I took his picture!? I had to - it was his first time having Jeni's!

The rest of the weekend was filled with family, friends, stuff around the house and another trip to the gym. We also purchased the materials for next house project and we are excited to start it soon!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day!

A track work out is cheaper than therapy & Mizuno Sayonara review

Monday: TIU Love Your Booty, 3 mile run outside
Tuesday: Track workout: 6 800s, 1/4 mile warm up and cool down - 3.5 miles total

I definitely woke up on the wrong side of bed yesterday.

It didn't help that I woke up at 4 and didn't go back to sleep (should have just gone to the gym). 

But really that's just an excuse.

Source

I let the beginning of my day dictate the rest of the day. I had classic Eeyore syndrome.

It would have been easy to skip my track workout, especially given the 90 degree heat.

It turns out though, the track was just the therapy I needed.

A Mizuno representative met us at the track last night so we could test out the Wave Sayonara or the Wave Rider.  

I opted for the Wave Sayonara - it's similar to the shoe I currently run in.

Then it was time for the torture therapy to start.

The shoes must work, as my 800s were faster than normal.

I ran all of them between 3:21 and 3:35.

I'll take it! And the shoes!

Honestly, I was very skeptical.

I have a hard time finding the right shoes, so I was happy to test them on the track with the option of switching them back out if I needed to.
I was very pleasantly surprised though.

The Sayonara is very lightweight, but also cushiony.
I couldn't believe how great they felt on my feet! And the colors are great (because that's the important part, right?!). I mean, check out the pink ones!

And extremely spent after the work out.

I felt so much better after the good ole sweat session.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a real therapy session would help well, but sometimes a good hard run does the trick too and it's friendlier on my bank account.

Weekend Review: PR City!

Happy Monday!

Foggy Monday morning sunrise. View from my backdoor.

This weekend was quite fun!

Friday night K and I had a date night at the hibachi grill. Such yummy food!

Then we headed over to his brother's house and hung out (and drank some wine!) with his family. We ended up over there WAY later than we expected. Time always flies when we are with them!

Saturday was pool party time at our friends house!

The weather was absolutely beautiful.

I made a delicious quinoa salad I'll tell you about later this week!

We also played this super fun game Telestrations.

Imagine Telephone combined with Pictionary. Totally hilarious!

Sunday was the big race day!

 

I'll give more of a recap later, but the BIG news is:

I have a new PR and Sarah kicked some serious booty in her FIRST half marathon!

Race Goals

Thursday: Body Blast Class at lunch

I had to modify or (yikes) not do a few things in class yesterday because of my calf.

As hard as it was to do that, I am proud of myself for not pushing it and hurting myself even more.

We had class outside and it was gorgeous! It's always nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air in the middle of the day.

The sunrise became 1000 times more beautiful minutes after this picture.

I am feeling fairly confident in my leg for the race this weekend.

I plan to wear either a compression sleeve or compression socks during the race.

I'm sure there will be some ingesting of ibuprofen before the race (yes, I know you shouldn't do that, but I am anyway).

Luckily the course for Sunday is flat, hills would be really bad news for my calf.

So I've been thinking about my goals for the race:

A) PR. It's a flat course and my current PR isn't exactly breaking any world records, so should be doable. Or so I thought until I injured my leg...

B) No PR, but close to my last 2 half marathon times.

C) Finish. If all else fails and my leg is not cooperating, I still want to finish. I've only DNFd one race before and it was a 5K that I tried to run with a broken foot (I didn't know it was broken until 2 days later).

I think those are all fairly realistic goals! Fingers crossed for a healthy and safe race for all of the runners!

 

And on a totally random note, two different days this week I saw hot air balloons in the sky on my way to work in the morning. There's something I just love about hot air balloons.

All the cool kids wear compression sleeves

Tuesday: Weights and Abs

Yesterday I raised my white flag of surrender.

I'm not giving up on my race this weekend, but I decided I need to do everything in my power to make sure I get to the starting line and finish line on Sunday.

My new running shoes came in yesterday, so I stopped by Mojo after work to pick them up.

I had a little conversation with Mr. Mojo about my strained calf and what to do.

I took his advice to heart, went home and iced my leg right away.

Then I put my compression sleeve on and haven't really taken it off since.

I was in a lot of pain Monday night and all day yesterday, but I am hopeful that the compression and icing will work it's magic.

Last night K and I hit the gym.

He got some cardio in while I did some upper body and abs.

When I go to the gym I like to match wear as many colors as possible.

I did the same TIU workout from Monday and added some additional tricep, bicep and shoulder moves. Then it was time for some ab work!

This was a killer! I did the whole thing through once and was spent.

And I plan on doing it again tonight!

It's a good thing it's going to be a little cooler for the rest of the week. I don't want to wear a skirt or dress to work with my compression sleeve. I like it hidden under my jeans much better.

Why I should never ever stop running

Monday: 3 mile run outside, TIU workout

After work I headed to the gym to do some upper body strength training before meeting Ben to run. I wanted to rest my calf before running, so I picked a new to me TIU plan: 

 

That lat rollout is NO joke.

Ouch!

Then it was time to run.

I was nervous at first about my calf. We started a little slow and planned on just taking it easy.

Ben was a little beat up from soccer on Sunday anyway, so it worked out fairly well.

I could feel something in my calf, but it wasn't really painful.

We finished the 3 mile loop in 26:39.

I could feel my calf more towards the end, but it still wasn't horrible.

The the more time that went by the more it hurt.

So, I'm sure you are wondering what the lesson is in all of this?

Never ever ever stop running and my calf won't hurt (at least not too bad).

This arrived in the mail yesterday, so needless to say, it was a good night at our house.

 The evening was rounded out with K's soccer game.

 I hadn't been to watch in a while, so it was fun to see him play again.

So now I am debating on how to make sure I get to not only the starting line on Sunday but also make it across the finish line. Compression socks? Kinesio tape?

I haven't had a real injury in a long time, so I know I am lucky, but this is really bad timing too!

Weekend Review: Injury

Saturday: 7 mile run outside
Sunday: Kayak, arms

Friday evening I had to say see ya later to one of my best friends.

She came in from Texas for our wedding celebration and was able to stay for 3 weeks.

We had a lot of fun over those 3 weeks: shopping eating, drinking wine, talking, playing with her kids. It's always sad when they leave but I am so thankful they were able to make the trip.

Saturday morning I started my run when I'm usually finishing it.

Big mistake.

It was incredibly humid.

I ran from home, down to the park and along the bike path.

I hit the 3.2 mile mark in 28 minutes. Stopped for a minute to wipe the sweat off my face then continued on (after poking myself in the eye with  my sunglasses - don't try to put them back on while running).

It was hot and a hard run, but I was feeling pretty good. I was happy.

Then I hit mile 5.25.

I felt like I got stabbed in the calf.

I stopped for a minute to stretch and continued on my way.

I finished 7 miles at an 8:30 pace and a screaming calf.

Pre run and post run

I pouted my way through a shower then decided it was time for some ice, compression and elevation. I'm hoping it's just a strain. It did seem to be a little better on Sunday, so I'm still being positive and of course planning to race this weekend!

Saturday afternoon we headed to down to Washington Park for the Taste of OTR.

It was a gorgeous (and hot) day. Perfect to spend in the park enjoying delicious food and good friends! We had Eli's BBQ, a pork bun from KaZe and gelato from Dojo.

Yum!

That evening we met friends out for dinner and drinks. Quite a fun-filled and busy day!

Sunday we spent running some errands in the morning then out on the water in our kayaks.

We are loving the kayaks and are so happy we decided to buy them.

This time we saw tubers and water skiers out on the river.

Sunday evening was spent with this cutie patootie.

She was giggling and laughing the whole time, I'm not sure how I managed to get a picture with no smile.

She's just so fun right now.

My favorite H quote of the night: "You gotta be kiddin' me!"

We have our meal and work out plan set for the week. Hopefully we are able to stick to it. I'm ready to get back into our routine!

Working for the weekend

Thursday: 3 mile run outside, toning intervals

Thursday after work I met Kelly for a quick run. It's been a few weeks since we have run together so it was a great time to finally catch up a bit.

Kelly is quite the champ. She finished chemo several weeks ago just started radiation this week. She has continued to work out through it all, but hasn't been able to run much.

She has been an amazing inspiration.

It was pretty humid so we took 2 walking breaks, but they were very short.

This run wasn't about time or distance, it was about Kelly getting a run in outside.

And that was a success!

One more week until my next race - the Little Miami Half Marathon!

 I'm hoping for a PR, but not sure my training has been good enough for that. I am hoping the flat course will help with that and my fingers are crossed for good running weather!

Have a happy weekend!

Goodbye, Garmin?

Tuesday: Rest

Last night we had a fabulous dinner with the family that I nannied for while I was in college.

Of course I took ZERO pictures. I was too busy enjoying our time together.

And the ah-mazing food.

Now I feel old, really really old.

The oldest "kid" just finished her first year of graduate school and the youngest just turned 21 last week.

I still think of them as 3rd and 5th graders.

Sigh.

Something very sad is happening to my Garmin.

See that mark the arrow is pointing at? It's not normal.

And it's there all. the. time.

That being said, I have had this Garmin for quite some time.

I guess it's time to start researching the replacement for when the time comes. There are so many more options now, it's overwhelming!

Do you use a running GPS? Do you love it?

Tuesday Morning Sunrise

Monday: 3 mile run outside

Last night was another gorgeous night for running.

We have truly been so lucky this summer.

Yesterday's high was 81 which hit right when we were heading out the door after work to run.

We just did a quick 3-miler - I guess I'll just have to make Ben do the 4 mile route next time!

The run was pretty uneventful, just our usual loop, but it was our fastest one yet!

sweaty after run pic

The rest of the evening was spent doing laundry and picking up the house.

Exciting Monday night at our house! I know you are jealous!

We did get to watch The Newsroom from Sunday night though.

Totally love that show!

Tuesday morning sunrise

Today may end up being a rest day, we have fun dinner plans tonight!