#LikeAGirl and January Miles

First, if you tried to get in touch with me on Sunday…I wasn’t ignoring you.
My (3 month old) iPhone 6 crashed. The screen just went red and it turned off. Thank you 8lb, 6 oz baby Jesus for the iCloud! It had automatically backed itself up Saturday night. The, the Apple Store “genius” looked at it for a few seconds and gave me a new phone, no questions asked…awesome!!  However, I’m still in the process of trying to restore it…fingers crossed.

Thursday:

Leah, my PT, “suggested” that I not run Thursday or Friday so I could do my long run on Saturday.  I trust her and do as I’m told:)

Early 23 miles on the bike.

And I met up with the Brentwood Breakfast Club

To celebrate Michael’s last run with the group.  He’s moving:(

It’s tough to read, but our gift to him was an engraved frame that read My Tribe and 6run5 🙂

One of the perks of being on the Rock n Blog Team is I get a discount code to share with you!!  Code: JENCHOOSESJOY is good for $15 off ALL Rock n Roll half and full marathons!!!!  Share it with your friends!

Thursday night: I got to do my first ever blogger meet-up with two Nashville fitness bloggers!  After following their blogs, it was SO much fun to meet Karina and Mary and person!  We had cocktails at No. 308 and talked about running, our favorite gyms, lots of FOOD, and brainstormed about ways to work together in the future!

Friday:

Wakey, Wakey Crepes and Coffee…that kind of rhymes, yes?!

I headed back to the gym to bike some more.  Oh the irony of wearing a Run Happy shirt on the spin bike.  I was happy because I knew I would get to do a long run on Saturday!

Thanks to everyone for the sore throat advice:  I’ve been drinking my honey tea and went to the doctor for a cortisone shot.

And of course, soup for dinner with grilled focaccia!

Long run prep:

Saturday:

15 miles pacing my Fleet Feet Nashville Country Music Marathon Training Group!!

 

I’m happy to report that I had zero Achilles pain during my run.  It got tight and creaky afterwards, so I’m still not 100%, but it’s getting SO much better!

Sunday:

And then…my iphone crashed and, so I don’t have anymore photos until that night.

Super Bowl Highlight: This ad…

because I RUN #LikeAGirl

It also gave me the courage to post my January Miles.  Due to injury, I ran my lowest monthly mileage since I started tracking it (133 mile LESS than last month, but who’s counting).  I’m definitely not thrilled with it, but I worked really hard for these miles.

It was definitely a full weekend!  It’s a new week, it’s a new month…Go Get ‘Em!!!!

Questions:

Weekend peak? Long run with my training group!

Pit? My phone crashing.

Who were you cheering for in the Super Bowl?  Favorite Super Bowl ad? I didn’t really care about the game, but I read that the white jerseys statistically win the Super Bowl, so I cheered for the Patriots.  Favorite ad: Always #LikeAGirl

Which Rock N Roll Races are you running this year?  Nashville, Virginia Beach, and Vegas

#choosejoy

Hop on Board the Soul Train

**Disclaimer: I’m writing this with a lot cold medicine in my system.  You’ve been warned!

I’ve been so busy posting recipes this week.  I figured it’s time for us to catch up!

Monday:

23 miles on the spin bike, weights, and TRX.  I loved all of the fun straps!

Most importantly Monday was Chocolate Cake Day!

I made my favorite Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze…yum!

I also had a great PT session!  Leah feels like I’ve turned the corner with my Achilles and I’m on the road to recovery.  She’s letting me run again.  3 days this week, 4 days next week, and then back to my regular training plan…woo hoo!!

It was also Sofritas Day at Chipotle!!

Track prep for Tuesday morning…Picky Bar and Cocogo! Use code JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) for 10% off at Cocogo.com!

Tuesday:

I set my track alarm…

I was so excited to join my friends, but boy was it early!

I’m not quite ready for speed work, but I joined my friends for their warm-up and then did progressive miles.  It felt great!  Tights are Nike and I got them at Fleet Feet.

We lovingly refer to our track group as the Pain Train.  We decided we should change the name to the Soul Train and have a dance line instead!  “The hippest trip in America!” This is the sillyness that happens after running in circles for too long!

For dinner I made a blueberry baked steel-cut oatmeal…so good!  I’ll type up the recipe soon.  I LOVE having breakfast for dinner.

Wednesday:

First things first…

I had a run date…great company and no Achilles pain!!  This was the first time I’ve run back-to-back days in forever.  Then I stopped by the new Daily Juice in Brentwood.  I had the El Tropicado and it rocked!

I stopped by Fleet Feet to pickup one of the new TN Run Y’all t-shirts…so cute!  My girlfriends also happened to be there at the same time!  Great minds think alike 🙂

 

I think I need to find this shirt…it’s perfect!

 

#choosejoy

Do you make breakfast for dinner?  It’s one of my favorite dinners.  My husband makes the best omelettes.

What’s your favorite breakfast?  Mine is the croissant french toast at Marche in Nashville.

What’s your best sore throat remedy?  Pretty please with a cherry on top, help me out!

When the husband is away…

The wife will go wild and…

And by party hard I mean be super lame and boring…

I spent many hours on the devil bike.

Rocked my Fleet Feet shirt

Made a mountain of guacamole and called it dinner.  Let’s just agree that this a portion size.

Joined my friends in the dark, on the track.

As we approach another person on the track, one of us inevitably asks…”Who is that?”  Between the dark and being bundled like this…I’m never really sure who anyone is.

Lots of time heating my Achilles. I told you…I’m wild and crazy!

Because it’s Taco Tuesday…

A Sofritas taco salad from Chipotle.  I promise it tastes way better than it looks.

And lastly, while solo, I’ve been sleeping in the boot. We fondly refer to it as the “birth control boot.”

So basically this post serves as reassurance to my husband that he has absolutely nothing to worry about while he’s away!  Although, I’m down for a Kid n Play dance party if anyone wants to come over.

P.S.  I came across this proverb and while I’m taking time to heal my body it seemed especially fitting 🙂

Have you tried the Chipotle Sofritas yet?  Verdict?

Have you had to sleep in a boot?  It doesn’t bother as much as I thought it would.

What was your latest speed workout?  I joined my friends on the track and I jog and cheer them on when they fly past me!

#choosejoy

Training for Boston: My Game Plan

I can’t believe we’re already into week two of training for the Boston Marathon!  It seemed so far away and now it’s here.  Crazy!  This definitely isn’t how I thought I’d kick-off my training.   I’m still nursing a cranky Achilles and my running is limited. Hopefully taking it easy now will make for some great Boston training and an even better race!

I was reading the Runners Connect Blog and started thinking about my goals. This is such a monumental race and it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

Am I going to run hard and see what I’m capable of? OR Should I run for fun and try to take it all in?

As I get back to full health, here are some of the key elements in my marathon training.

Long Runs:  This Spring, I am pacing a Country Music Marathon training group for Fleet Feet.  My group is training for a 4:00 hour marathon.  Our long runs are at a 9:30 pace.  I’ll be pacing their miles, and then I plan to add a few more miles before and after the group run.

Speed Work:  I run track on Tuesdays with my Speed Session group.  We base line our workouts with a 2 mile time trial.  Then the rest of our group workouts will be geared toward marathon preparation with lots of mile repeats, 800’s, etc…

Mid-Week Long Run: I like to do a Wednesday “longish” run….usually 10-12 miles.  I include 6×20 second surges.

Tempo Runs: My tempo runs are usually 2 mile warm-up, 5 miles at tempo, and 2 mile cool down.  (To determine your tempo pace: Add 30 seconds to your 5K pace.)

Steady State: These are usually 1-2 mile warm-up, 10 miles (20-30 seconds slower than my tempo pace), 1-2 mile cool down.

Fast Finish: I will incorporate fast finish runs into my group long runs.  I’ll finish the group run and add on an additional 3-5 miles at my steady state pace.

Cross training: PiYO for low impact days, weight lifting, Orange Theory Fitness, TRX, nightly core work before bed, and I just got a YMCA membership so I can try some of their classes.

Foam Rolling and Stretching: Dealing with my Achilles problem has really reminded me to roll and stretch.  Seriously, I can’t stress it enough!

Mark Hadley at Maximum Performance Running has created the training plans for my last 4 marathons.  He does an amazing job at customizing the above workouts to help me meet my goals!

Conclusion…I might not have a race day game plan yet, but this is what my training will look like.  My goal for now is to recover, focus on quality training miles, and then decide.  Either way, I am STOKED to run this race!!!

Check out this Podcast on Setting up for Success; Boston Marathon Race Director, Dave McGillivray

And, I LOVED playing around with this Boston Marathon Pace Calculator!

Boston Advice: Would you run hard or have fun?

What’s your favorite type of training run? I love long runs!

Least Favorite? Tempo runs are always tough for me.

Do you have a Spring “Goal” Race? Have you started training? How’s it going?

#choosejoy

3,821 Miles

This has been one of the happiest years of my life.  I’ve said it a million times…I am not an exceptional runner, but I run for the joy of it.  My friends truly made this a joyful year.  Thank you!

My 2014 goals were:

1.  To log my miles for the first time ever…with a goal of 2,014 mile.
2.  Run more races than ever with the Fleet Feet Race Team with a goal of getting more comfortable with road      marathons.
3.  Become a pacer for the Fleet Feet Country Music Marathon Training Program
4.  Start a blog.

Here’s how it played out…

January

February

Race: The Seaside Half Marathon

March

April

Race: Country Music Half Marathon Pacer

May

Race: Achilles International 5 Mile

June

Race: The Franklin Half Marathon

The Moon Pie 10 Mile

Jackal Trail Marathon

July.  I hit my 2014 goal and celebrated accordingly!

Race: Brentwood Firecracker 5k…my first 5k!

August

Race: Cumberland Plateau Stage Race

September: I started JenChoosesJoy!

Race: Franklin Classic 10k and 5k

And…I became an RRCA Coach!

October

Race: Chicago Marathon

November

Race: The Flying Monkey Marathon

Boulevard Bolt Thanksgiving 5 Miler

December

Race: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

I am really proud of that total: 3, 821!  I followed a bunch of Mark Hadley’s training plans and he got me through a lot of races!

2015 Run Goals

1. I was fortunate to make the Fleet Feet Racing Team again…woo hoo!
2. I’m going to pace a training group for the Fleet Feet Country Music Marathon 4 hour group.
3. Run and write for the Rock ‘N’ Blog Team.
4. I’m going to log my miles again, but I’m hesitant to set a goal.  I want to listen to my body and see where it leads.  4,000 miles would be great, but that depends on how I’m feeling.

Blog Goals:

1. Continue to grow JenChoosesJoy by posting 6 times a week.
2. Move to a self-hosted site with ads.
3. Make #choosejoy shirts to raise money for St. Jude.  🙂

2015 Races:

1. Pistol Ultra…although as I type this, I have a tight Achilles and I’m on the fence about racing 😦
2. Boston Marathon
3. Seattle Half or Full
4. Franklin Classic 10k
5. New York Marathon
6. Flying Monkey Marathon
7. Boulevard Bolt
8. St. Jude Memphis Half or Full

And, because I like to aim high…

I hope you ALL have a very Happy New Year!!!

What was your 2015 running highlight?  Mine was a surprising 2nd overall female finish at the Flying Monkey Marathon!

What was your best lesson learned?  I don’t need to race 3 marathons and 1 ultra within 3 months.  I’m exhausted!

How did you ring in the New Year?  Pizza and champagne with my husband at home…perfection:)

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Team & 84 Miles

It’s been a full (peak mileage) week, so let’s catch up…

Thursday:

Met up with the Breakfast Club on a cold, rainy morning for a run.  Apparently we really like our Asics Storm Shelter Jackets!

Found this quote:

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was one of the Top 50 Fleet Feet customers.  I was just excited to be on the list.  Well guess what?!!  I received a 20% off card that’s good for one year…woo hoo!!!

I had to get creative with my long run this week.  My schedule called for 8 miles on Friday and 20 miles on Saturday.  I’m super disciplined about sticking to my plan, but the holidays can be tricky.  So…

Friday:

15 miles.  Some days are just tough.  I can tell that I’m nearing the end of 50k training.

Followed by PiYo Core.  When it comes to cross training right now, low-impact is my friend!

My family Christmas dinner party was Friday night.  My step-dad hosts it and it’s always a special night with family and friends that I’ve know my whole life.

The dinner menu:

Of course we took Veuve in a fun faux fur bag from Restoration Hardware🙂

And, most importantly…my hot date.

Saturday:

13 miles with friends.  (Instead of the scheduled 8 and 20, I ran 15 and 13.  At least I got my miles in.)

My paperwhites are in full bloom and smell amazing!

Sunday:

USMC Bootcamp in downtown Nashville.  It was so cold and the workout always kicks my butt!  BUT…today I overcame my fear of the box jump!!!

Total Weekly Mileage: 84.  It’s not the most I’ve ever run, but I think the cumulative effect of three marathons in a row has caught up with me.  This next week starts my two week taper and I’m looking forward to fresh legs!

Sunday inspiration.

Now for some super fun, exciting news!!  I was selected to run for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Team: Rock ‘n’ Blog!!!!  I get to select which Rock ‘n’ Roll races I’d like to run in exchange for sharing the experience with you.  Now the tough part…choosing my races!  I’d LOVE your opinion!!

Which Rock ‘n’ Roll races have you run?  Recommendations for me?  I’ve run Nashville and San Diego.

Do you ever adjust your training plan or do you stick to it?  Obviously, if you’re injured you make adjustments.  I very rarely change mine.

Are you afraid of box jumps, too?  I was so proud of myself for finally doing them!!!

What’s your highest weekly mileage ever? Mine was somewhere in the low 90’s.

#choosejoy

Back on Track

Monday:

8 miles.  In. The. Sunshine.  It’s been dreary forever (slight exaggeration).  The sunshine only lasted for a couple of hours, but I soaked it in.

And, I got to see lots of deer!

I needed to be doing party clean-up and instead spent far too long playing my violin.

Tuesday:

Prep:

Track.  I hadn’t done speed work since the Memphis Marathon and wasn’t sure if my legs would be up for it.

4 mile warmup

Strides

4 x 1200m (400m recovery)

The 1200 was with alternating (200 f pace), (200 i pace), etc….

1 mile cool down

It wasn’t easy, but I hit my goals…woo hoo!!  Friends made it so much fun:)

Wednesday:

My mid-week long run called for 12 miles.

I came home to start baking Christmas cookies.  I baked my favorite cookie ever…Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies!  I’ll share the recipe soon:)

I packed up some gift bags for friends.  My OCD loves that the dot on the box matches the polka dots on the bags.

Lined up and ready to go…

“Duh-Duh-Duh Day Drinking” under the guise of picking up a take-out order.  Only one glass…don’t judge.

I received an email from Fleet Feet saying that I was one of their Top 50 Customers again this year which makes me beyond happy!  I love supporting my friends:)

Do you give your friends Christmas gifts?  Confession: Gift giving is one of my favorite things in the whole world.  However, I am completely uncomfortable receiving gifts.

Has it been dreary where you live or are you blessed with sunshine?  

What do you do to procrastinate? Usually it’s social media for me.

#choosejoy 

St. Jude Memphis Marathon

I got all of my ducks in a row the night before.  (I say ducks because we’re staying at the Peabody…I quack myself up!)

Saucony Kinvara 5’s, Fleet Feet Racing Kit, Swiftwick Zero Socks, Oiselle Strappy Bra, and Garmin 620

Amphipod Handheld, Picky Bar, Gu, and Cocogo

Woke up at 5:30 for coffee and banana bread.  I’m superstitious about this pre-race breakfast.

Met up with my Run 4 Others friends at 7:30!  It’s so fun to do a destination race and still have so many friends.

Temps were in the low 50’s with a cold 15mph wind!

The race started at 8am.

After running the Flying Monkey Marathon two weeks ago, I wanted to go out easy.  I started with the 3:55 pace group.  I stuck with them for around 6 miles and realized I wanted to pick up the pace.  I really tried to run this race by feel.  I stayed talkative and gave lots of high-fives!

Here are my splits:

9:10, 8:46, 8:46, 8:27, 8:20, 8:50, 8:44, 8:43, 8:45, 8:35, 8:40, 8:39, 8:33, 8:23, 8:25, 8:26, 8:15, 8:08, 8:12, 8:16, 8:04, 7:58, 7:51, 7:52, 7:37, 7:34

You get to run through the St. Jude campus at miles 5 and 24.  I teared up both times feeling such gratitude for my health.

Finish Time: 3:41:42

I got really cold immediately after the race…probably from the strong wind.  I took a hot shower and ate pretzels in bed.

I loved getting to wear some of my race swag afterwards:)

I always crave chips and dip after a race (must be a salt thing) so I inhaled this spinach dip…

over a glass of wine!

Nutrition:

Gu 15 minutes before the race and then at miles 8, 15, and 21.

Cocogo in my handheld and sports drink at the water stops on the course.

Muscle Milk immediately after the race for recovery.  It’s not my usual, but it got the job done.

**I walked every water stop…still haven’t mastered the pinch the cup running technique.

Can you drink and run at the water stops?

What’s your favorite recovery/protein food and drink?

Do you have a reward food after you race?

#choosejoy

Meet Your 2015 Fleet Feet CMM Pacers!

Saturday:

I joined the Run 4 Others group for my long run.

Followed by….wait for it…oatmeal.  I am loving pomegranate arils right now!

We decorated our Christmas tree which makes me so stinkin’ happy!  The star has a little lean to it, but so did we after drinking wine.

Best mail day…ever.

Sunday:

USMC Bootcamp.  This was our pitiful attempt at a group pic.

This workout was all about running stairs…

and this hill.

We were so happy to survive!!

Just another reason why Corrie rocks!

Monday:

8 miles.  Nothing special…just doing the work.  Followed by PiYo Drench.

We had our 2015 Fleet Feet Country Music Marathon Pacer Kick-Off Party…that’s a lot of words, and a lot of awesome people!

If you want to train with these folks, click HERE to sign up!

And this one is for our awesome Brooks rep, Drew Jones, because “I never wear Brooks!”  Brooks is sponsoring the CMM and our training program…GO BROOKS!

For your Christmas viewing pleasure…

What’s your favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!

If you celebrate Christmas, is your tree up?

Do you use colored lights or white lights?

#choosejoy

11 Reasons to Train with a Group

When I first started running, I was too intimidated to join a group run.  Would I be fast enough?  Would I mess up the group’s workout?  What if I needed to stop?  What if I don’t know anyone?

These are all completely normal feelings, but I learned that groups LOVE new runners!

1.  Accountability.  It’s so easy to hit the snooze button if you’re doing a solo run.  It really helps to know that others are meeting you at a set time and location. P.S. Who runs in pink dresses?!

2.  When you’re marathon training, you’re running for hours.  It really helps to have the company of others.  And, when you’re talking and laughing, the time really flies by!

3.  Speaking of good company, you can make so many new friends.  I have met some of my best friends through running groups.

4.  Running is good for your physical health, but group running is good for your emotional health.  It significantly improves your self-esteem, overall mood, and level of psychological stress.  Read more about this study…HERE.

5.  A group can help you hold a steady pace.  Some runners have a tough time pacing themselves.  They’ll go out too fast and crash before they’ve finished the run.

6.  Pacers, coaches, and mentors.  Fleet Feet Nashville provides pace leaders and coaches to everyone that signs up for training.  Everyone can start with the same training plan, but life doesn’t always go as planned.  A good coach can help you adjust your training for setbacks from illness, work, family obligations, etc…

7.  It’s a great way to learn from experienced runners.  Long runs provide a great opportunity to ask questions about nutritions, hydration, shoes, etc…

8.  Shared goals.  When you’re running with similar paced runners in your community, you’re often training for the same race and a similar finish goal.

9.  Pre-made routes.  Making run routes can be very time consuming.  It’s also easy to fall into a rut of running the same route every time.  For our group runs, the routes are always pre-selected before the run.  It gives everyone the opportunity to familarize themselves with the course.  It also introduces the runners to new routes.  They might not be this cool, but you get the idea!

10.  Safety in groups.  Not only are you safer from a would-be attacker, but you’re more visible to traffic.  It’s hard to miss this group!

11.  This is my favorite…water stops!  We set up coolers of water every 4ish miles along the route.  It’s such a luxery to not worry about carrying enough water for a long run.

Fleet Feet Nashville is gearing up for their Spring Marathon Training.  That’s what got me thinking about this topic.  I’ll be pacing the 4 hour marathon group.  They offer half and full marathon groups for every pace….if you’re walking your first race or trying to BQ!

I’m blessed to run with some great groups!!

What have I forgotten on this list?

Are you a group runner?  Is it organized through a local running store?

Unrelated…How was your long Thanksgiving weekend?