Thursday, March 11, 2010

Apparently, I have a cold that just won’t quit; the husband and I have been run off our feet busy for the last week and a half and its certainly not helping my recovery. Luckily, I have not let it stop me from running, although my distance is suffering. Once I start coughing, it does not let up and it’s time to call give it a break. I have been doing a lot of speed work lately, which is great, but the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler is only a month away and I need to get some longer runs in!



Over the weekend, the husband and I took a very quick trip to Eastern Long Island to celebrate his aunt’s 50th birthday (she has Down’s, so it was a very special occasion). Luckily, the weekend was beautiful and I was able to get two five mile runs in outside. I spend so much time on the dreadmill, I forget how much I enjoy running outside. Just getting out in the open air, taking in all the sights (or ridiculously expensive houses) and enjoying nature made the five miles pass by so quickly both days.


The trip to NY was lovely and it was nice to see the husband’s family, but once I stepped on the scale after we made it home, I realizee that I need to start using a bit lot more willpower when it comes to my food choices. Husband comes from a traditional Italian family and the amount of food prepared for just 6 people astounds me! It was soooo good and I had to eat a bit of everything. Luckily, http://www.thedailyplate.com/ now has an iPhone app, so I can start taking control of this eating situation! If you have not checked this site out, it’s run by Livestrong and had a plethora of information available. Almost every food is listed on there, with portion size, calories, fiber, sugar, etc, any workout imaginable is listed so you can track you calories burned, plus there are plenty of forums and discussion boards to bounce ideas of other members. It’s been a great way to track my food intake since I got back, and best of all, it’s free for basic membership!  My goal is to lose this last 20 pounds before the middle of July (vacation at the beach) and I just need a bit more accountability!


I am looking into getting a Garmin for running outside now that the weather is turning. Does anyone have any suggestions, recommendations or alternatives??


My last question for everyone is how do you prepare yourself mentally when you are running a race? I am concerned I might get bored a few miles into my race and lose focus. I am positive I can run this race and do well physically, but I worry about the mental aspect for this, and future races. How do you keep it all together when running distances over a 10K?


I hope everyone has had a great week and is looking forward to the weekend!






3 comments:

Kim said...

Hi! I came over from Katye's blog :)

I definitely recommend the Garmin 405! It's expensive, but we love it.

Usually there are so many people at races that I don't get bored. I love watching everyone and taking in the new scenery. However, if the race allows it, music might keep you interested!

Puddles of Run said...

Garmin: I really love it, when it can find a satelite! I have been a little irritated when it doesn't find on until a mile or 2 into my run. Other than that, like I said- Yes I love it!

Sheryl said...

Definitely invest in a Garmin! The data you get is sooo helpful and really lets you tailor your training to where you are physically. Also, the heart rate monitor really gives you great feedback on how you're doing on a run at any given moment.

I've been using the 305 for the past 2.5 years now and love it! I haven't had any problems with acquiring satelite. I just make sure to turn it on as I'm walking to my starting point.