Fall Race Plans

There are so many races that take place in the fall, how do you choose?

For me, I know I'll be doing our local Harvest race with my dad because it's become a tradition. That of course is coming up here in September.  I of course will want to do a "bigger" race as well.  Last year I ran Disney's Wine and Dine race as my big fall race.

Since completing the goal of running all the Disney races, I've set a goal to run some bigger city races.  I started that goal off this year by running the NYC Half and have made a mental list of some other "city" races I'll want to do in the coming years.  I thought Baltimore would be a good one to put on that list.

The Baltimore Running Festival is coming up in October and there are are a variety of races to choose from.  I MAY do another marathon at some point but now is not that point so I got together with some running friends you may know (Ana, Heather, and Megan) and we are going to do the Marathon Relay!  Our team name is East Coast Bloggers!  Even though our team is complete, there may be some others that will come down to run one of the races.

Of course there may be a few local 5K's that I might throw in the mix this fall but Baltimore is what I am most excited for and what I am training for.  I love the relay because I know that I am part of a team and that keeps me accountable! They are depending on me so I better get my butt out there and get in gear.  If I don't train properly, it's not just my race that suffers, it's theirs too!  But I know my team mates are really great and any of them would be happy to pick up the pace if any one of us was struggling.  Of course I would do the same.

When I ran the NYC Half earlier this year I documented all my runs and then it was fun to look back over them and remember each one. I am hoping to do the same as I train for Baltimore!

What race are you looking forward to this fall?
If you'll be in the area for any of the Running Festival, let us know! -M

Color Run 5K

I didn't think I would have a lot to say about this race, but this post turned out longer than I thought.

There are plenty of local 5K's around here during the summer but I've limited myself to doing one race per month.  For the month of August, I originally wanted to run the Love Run that I did last year, but I skipped it because it was just way too hot and I remembered how miserable it was last year.  To be honest, I only allowed myself to skip it because I knew there would be another race this weekend!

Source

So this weekend's race was the Color Run sponsored by Sheetz. I was only a spectator last year.  The race took place down at our Island Park, but in the wooded trails. Scott and I scoped out the trail the night before so I could see where I would be running.  I mentioned in the weekly wrap that I ended up having a sore throat when I got home.

Well Saturday morning when I woke up I felt miserable. My throat was so dry and so very sore. I got up at 5:30 am and had a Sucrets and laid their till 7am. I thought about skipping the race but knew it was my last opportunity to do a race in August.  I got myself up and decided to do a "test run" to see how I was feeling.  I did almost 2 miles near my home and decided I could handle it. 

I don't usually carry water for a 5k, but I decided to bring my own in my flip belt since my throat was so sore. 

I didn't register for this race in advanced because after the processing fee, I was only saving $2 and there was a stipulation that said if the path got flooded, the race would take place at the High School track. Since the race takes place on the island, there is a good chance that part of the route could get flooded if we had a good rain ( it's been flooded before).  Running a race on a track did not sound fun, so I waited till race day to register.

When we registered we got a drawstring bag and a pack of color. I guess runners were putting the color on themselves before they even started to run.  My goal was to not get any color on me, so I did not open my packet. 

Scott came to the race with me and then a few minutes before the start time, I saw my mom, dad, and nana.  It was nice to have them all come out and spectate but because of the way I had been feeling, I had a feeling this wasn't going to be a very good race for me. 

Like I mentioned in the weekly wrap, this race was a total trail race.  Lots of running on grass and dodging roots.  We started by doing a half lap on the south trail, exited the trail by the boat launch, and up and around the north trail. We continued back on the South end of the island and instead of going straight on the path, it cut up to the left into a grassy area. This is the area I would have totally missed had I not scoped out the route the night before.  In fact, there were two girls that were behind me the entire race until this point. They passed me and kept going straight. I think they heard me turn up the hill because then I heard them say they messed up.  Somehow they ended up passing me at this point.    

The path was well marked though. Not only were there orange arrows spray painted on the ground, there were also yellow and pink arrows that were on signs that were staked in the ground.  If you wanted to participate in the color fun, there were about 6 to 8  color stations where you could get doused with color.  Even though I opted to not get doused with color, I sure inhaled plenty of it as I was running behind others who were getting sprayed.   Even though I didn't stop for any, I was surprised to see that this race had 2 water stops. Actually it was 4 for the entire race because we ran by each stop twice! 

For a trail race, I finished in a much better time than I had anticipated!  Shortly after I finished I noticed a tent where the official times were being printed off.  I went over to the tent and was excited to see that I had won first in my age group.  I had earned 2nd place wins at other race but never a first.  When it was time for the awards to be announced, it turns out I really only won second place.   After I looked at my time originally, there had been an update. I am not disputing the results in anyway, I am just curious as to how that happens?  If that runner came in before me, Shouldn't her name and time have been printed before mine?  There were only prizes for 1st and 2nd places in each AG  so I was super happy to have won 2nd. 

EXCEPT by the time they got to my age group, they had run out of medals! What?!?!   The lady apologized and said it was her first time organizing this race. She had us and the male winners in that AG write our names and address down and said she would mail the medals to us.  I wasn't mad because of course things happen, but regardless of how many people come to run a race or how many people register on race day YOU STILL NEED THE SAME AMOUNT OF AG MEDALS.  It's not like they were giving medals to every runner who finished and they just happened to run out. I don't understand how you can make a mistake like this but then again I've never organized a race so I am not one to talk. 

After the race awards, there was a huge Chinese Auction.  While I was running the race, Scott and my dad were buying tickets for the auction.  This lasted for about an hour and we had to stay till the end because my dad had put his raffle tickets in the basket for some tickets to a baseball ball game, Which he ended up not winning anyway. 

After the Chinese auction, we went out for lunch ( I had a slice of peanut butter pie to celebrate) and then ran some errands. I don't know if it was all the time spent out in the sun or what, but I felt awful by the time I got home. I took a shower and was out for the rest of the night. Even though I only ran a 5K, I literally felt like I had ran a marathon. My entire body ached and I had a major headache.  I'm thinking that sore throat was the first sign that I was coming down with a cold.

*Edit: I did indeed catch a full blown cold.

What race day mishap have you encounter that could have been prevented? M

Weekly Wrap.....August 27

Welcome to another edition of the weekly wrap. Things were kind of simple here this week. I was a little more tired this week but still managed to get my three runs in. I want to start working on other things so I think a goal of two to three runs a week is still okay since I'm not planning a major long distance race.

Of course Monday was the Eclipse and although we didn't experience total darkness here (it was just like a cloudy day), it was neat to see online all the folks having fun with it. As soon as it was over I went for my run. When the cloud coverage passed, it got super hot out!

Afterwards I headed straight to the pool.

Hot runs call for cool pools! Baylee and I decided to Savor our last days of summer break!

Tuesday this happened, so I decided to just call it a rest day. Nothing ended up happening except maybe a bit of rain. I'm sure there was a storm some where but it seems like the weather people have been overly dramatic with their warnings lately. As long as I lived in this area we've never had a Tornado but we always get the warning. Better safe than sorry I guess. 

Wednesday I did 3 miles on the bike. Hey, at least it's something.

Thursday I did another 3 miles on the trail but stuck to the grass trails because I knew that's where a majority of the race would take place on Saturday. It's been really bothering my back and hips more than usual to run on this grassy surface. Probably because it's uneven and it feels like it jolts my body.

Friday Scott and I went for an evening stroll down at the island where the race was going to take place on Saturday.  We decided to do the path in the woods so I could see if the trail was marked up yet. Indeed the trail had already been spray painted with orange arrows.  Part of the course took an unsuspected turn, so I was glad that I was down there to check it out before race day or I probably would have missed it (more on that to come).  Also on Friday evening I started to get a sore throat and hoped I wasn't getting sick.

Saturday was race day. I'll talk more about this later.

What was the highlight of your week? Are you still enjoying summer? -M

Be sure to check out HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for their weekly wrap series!

My 5 Races

This Friday Five is very timely because I am about to embark on my fifth race of the year.  I know 5 races at this point in the year really isn't all that impressive considering back in 2015 I would have been on my 10th race at this point in the year. Oh how times have changed.

I've been more selective about the races I choose to participate in and I am not so quick to sign up for those back to back challenge races. I don't need the extra medal.

Here are the races I've done so far in 2017.

1. NYC Half Marathon: I've mentioned this before but this race was truly AMAZING and I am so glad I got to participate. I think this has been my favorite race thus far.

2. Hershey 10k: I wasn't a fan of the race ( although that could just be because I was running with a chest cold and was way over dresse). However, spending the day at the Chocolate Spa at the Hotel Hershey was definitely the highlight of the weekend.

3. The Monumental Mile: It was fun to run the parade route and see everyone out supporting our veterans. I will be putting this one on my list to do next year for sure! Kudos to my dad and my running buddy for both placing in this race.

4. The 4th of July 5k: I just don't know about this race. Every year I say I'm not going to do it again because of the heat and the huge hill but then I do feel so accomplished afterwards.

5. Number 5 for the year will be a local color run on Saturday. I have no desire to do a color run but I. Issued last weekends race and this is my last chance to get in a 5k race in August. It's right in my park too, so why not?

How many races have you run this year? Is that more or less than usual?

You can read more about each of the races on our Race page

An InLinkz Link-up

Weekly Wrap....August 20th

This week was another week of trying to fit as much stuff in as possible before I go back to work next week.

Sunday started with some boating time at the lake with my mom and Nana.

Monday started my "official" training for my fall race which I will talk about later this week. it was only 3 miles but I wanted to keep the mileage low so it was a strong run, which it was.  Afterwards I showered and got myself a massage to see if that would help my shoulder / chest pain.

 On Tuesday I did my longest run of the summer, 6 miles. Last summer, I was in a 6 mile slump because all the further I was able to run was 6 miles (or 6.2 on some days) because of the heat.  This year I hadn't even come close to 6 miles except for this day.  Funny story, after running the 6 miles, I went to this new grocery store that is located near the end of the trail. While I was there, Scott called me to see if I wanted to meet for lunch. I told him where I was and he asked me "Are you going to run back with the groceries?". Umm No, I drove to the store.

Wednesday I Swam with Baylee and Scott.  I'm still having that pain from last week and the massage did not seem to help so I continued to stretch that side of my body by doing the back stroke.

In an effort to prepare for Saturday's race, I went down to the island on Thursday to see if I could remember the route from last year. I met a man in his 60's who was also training for the race and was hoping to place in his age group. We chatted for a bit before each going on our on way.  I admit, I was struggling bad!  My Garmin died before I finished the course and I hate to say it, but I was actually glad. I gave myself permission to walk the rest of the way.  When I finished I called my running buddy to tell him how much I was struggling. His exact words were "You're running? Meranda, it's 94 degrees, EVERYBODY is struggling".   I knew it was hot, but I guess I didn't realize it was that hot.  I went back down to the island later that night once it cooled off and walked with Scott. With my "attempted run" and my walk with Scott I know I did over 3 miles but I'm only counting it as three. I wonder if I should even count it at all since it was such a struggle?

I took Friday as a rest day.  I should have got out of the house and did something since it was my last free weekday before work but I didn't. I just took it easy, watched a TV show I dvr-ed and continued to work on sewing my curtains.

On Saturday my running buddy was not feeling well and was not going to be running so I actually decided to skip the race too.  After seeing that it was already showing 80 degrees at the start of the race I knew it was a smart decision.  I opted to go shopping instead.  There will be another race this coming weekend so we are both going to try to make that one.


Take a guess, Which race do you think I am running in the fall?  If you already know (you know who you are), you can not play along :)   I'll give you a hint. I did mention it on the blog already this year.

If you struggle on a run and have to walk, do you still count all your miles?   -M



We are linking up with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for their weekly wrap.

Check out this T-Rex Restaurant

When we visited Florida earlier this month, we dined at Rain Forest Cafe (which is one of my favorites) and while we were there we earned reward points  with our Landry's Select card towards a future meal.  The catch was that we had to use the rewards points during the current month.  Instead of returning to the Rain Forest, we decided to try T-Rex Cafe.

I was never interested in visiting this place because I remembered the menu being a lot of barbecued meats such as ribs and stuff.  This was something that did not really interest me but was willing to give it a try since we had reward points to use.

We arrived shortly after 11:30 am and the lunch rush had not really hit yet. We were asked to wait a few minutes for our table which was no problem.

As we waited, we admired the Lava Lounge. It was decorated as a huge aquarium.  It was actually kind of neat and we knew that if we wanted to, we could sit at the bar immediately but we continued to wait for a table in the main dining room . It was our first time here so we wanted to get the full experience.

We waited and waited and then one of the hosts told us they were just waiting for a server. However, during the time we waited there were quite a variety of servers and managers mingling around the hostess station. In this picture there are only 6 people but at one point there were 9 people mingling around and yet no one in the line was being seated.

I know this is a bad picture but I wanted to show how the line had grown since we started waiting.
I could understand the long wait if they were busy but seeing very few people seated and seeing all the employees standing in one place confused me. I did not warrant the wait time we were experiencing.

Eventually our server came to get us and escorted us to a table. While she was leading us she asked  "So, what brings you here"?  I guess by this time I wasn't really into casual banter so I thought it was such a silly question . I told her  Vacation, and thought, isn't that why most people are here?  I should mention that T-Rex is located at Disney Springs (formally known as Downtown Disney).

Like Rain Forest Cafe, T-Rex has animatronics and every 20 minutes there is a meteor shower in the sky. It also had a gift shop.

I was actually quite pleased with the menu.  There were quite a few options that I would have enjoyed.  I chose the Triassic Trio (which was steak, shrimp skewers with veggies and rice and shrimp and scallops). It was yummy! Scott  got the Korean Stir Fry Chicken  which he quickly regretted. He said it was too spicy, which surprised me because he usually likes spicy things.

Besides the long wait, I thought this restaurant had a fun atmosphere and I thought the food was very good.  I'm glad we gave it a try.

Tell me some fun themed restaurants you've visited.

An InLinkz Link-up

What a Severe Warning!

Last week I headed out to my favorite rail trail. I was going to meet my sister there but I got there early so I could do a mile or so at my own easy pace.

As I stepped on to the trail I immediately noticed these signs hanging up.

If you can't read it, it says:

                  Notice of Herbicide Application
An Herbicide Application is being planned for the Rail Trail for the following dates, Thursday, August 10th, 2017.  If the weather does not permit we will be applying the herbicide the following day.

Herbicided are being applied only to the sides of the trail and spot treatment on gravel areas in the middle of the trail where needed.  It will be safe to be on the treated areas 24 hours after the application has been made.  DO NOT walk.ride on either side of the trail  for 24 hours.  The previous statement  applies also to pets.  Do not lick and or eat any of the berries that may have been in contact with the herbicide.


I looked down at my watch and it for sure was Thursday, August 10th. These signs were posted every couple yards and at every opening where someone could enter the trail.  I read this sign over several times trying to determine if this meant the trail was closed or if it was an enter at your own risk sort of thing. I didn't see another soul around which is odd for a beautiful summer day such as this one. This place is usually bustling with activity.   The sign made me very nervous because all I kept thinking was Oh no, Now  I'm going to have some poisonous chemicals on my shoes and I'm going to drag the poison home to Baylee!

Just at that time, I saw a walker coming from the opposite direction. I asked him if he saw these signs at the end of the trail where he started. Note; The end where he was coming from is all paved. It is not rural and goes through a neighborhood. There would be no reason to spray herbicide at that end.

He said he didn't remember seeing the signs but if he did, he wouldn't have read them.   I pointed to the sign, and then he read it. He said he just saw that landscape truck parked in the parking lot in front of where we were standing  so he ran back and talked to the landscaper.  He came back a minute later with a thumbs up.

He asked the landscaper if it was an "enter at your own risk" and the landscaper replied that there really wasn't any risk at all! They had just sprayed on the sides of the trail but we were free to be on the trail walking, running or biking.

Huh! We both agreed that this was a pretty severe warning for what should have just said:
We sprayed herbicide on the sides of  the trail so make sure you stay in the middle.

I wonder if this was made a bigger deal than what is because of what happened to Baylee and at least one other dog that we know of last year.  My vet said she was going to call the rail trail authority to find out what was going on. Maybe that call prompted them to hang these signs each time they spray anything.

Needless to say, I we ended up continuing on the trail. I eventually met up with my sister and so far neither of us have died from any chemical poisoning.


What would you have thought of this warning? Would you have just thought everything was okay or would you have thought it was more severe?  -M


                                                   We are linking up with the gals from TOTR

Weekly Wrap...August 13

I've been trying to pack my days with activities since I'm coming down to the last weeks of my Summer Vacation. It makes me look back at the past few months and think  What all did I do? What did I accomplish?  But I suppose I'll save those questions for a later post.

Every week I say I'm going to start writing things down so I don't forget, but I never do. I haven't even been recording my runs. Therefore here are just a few highlights from my week that I DO remember.

Monday I finally bought the remaining fabric to make my curtains and my only goal this day was to sew them up. I don't remember what happened but I didn't do it (and the fabric is currently still sitting on my dinning room table).

Tuesday I had the Chiropractor appointment for that shoulder pain that gave me pain in my chest every time I breathed, yawned or coughed.  It still hasn't gone away.

               After that I did some shopping and then met my sister to do some boating.

  Isn't this a gorgeous view?  It was the perfect backdrop for just relaxing and chatting, which we did.


Wednesday I spent a lot of time in the pool with Miss Baylee. I floated on the raft for a while and took in the sun but I felt guilty because I wasn't playing with her. I would see her throw her duck in the pool and then jumps in after in. I know she wanted me to throw it in for her cus lets face it, she can't throw it very far. she just kind of drops it in the pool and then jumps in after it.  

Afterwards I did swim a couple laps in an effort to loosen up my shoulder. I did (my version) of the back stroke and it seemed to help (for a few hours).  Have you ever swam in a pool with a dog?  Every time I swim, Baylee thinks it's a race. She's got to be right up beside me giving me very little personal space!

                    Afterwards I had a "date" with my sister to watch our show, Younger!

                                We made these fun Cantaloupe drinks.

Thursday  we did a few miles on the rail trail and then ended at Starbucks for these "new " drinks.  Lacey got the Horchata Almond Milk Frappe which tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and I got the Lemon Bar creme which was okay but was a little disappointed that they didn't have the lemon bar crunchy topping for on top of it. They should have told me that they didn't have all the ingredients to make the drink if they couldn't make it properly.

Later that night we had another "date" to watch Nashville. I'm sad that the show won't be returning till January! It's not fair that they just tease us with a few episodes over the summer!

Friday I got some morning miles in at the island with my sister. During the first few loops I did not have my camera but it's always so busy down there. We saw an entire team of canoers (is that even a word?) putting their boats in, a guy training a Yellow Labrador puppy for leadership something or other (which of course we had to stop and talk to), and this guy walking on the trail with a fishing pole carrying a pretty large fish. I had to do a double take and ask my sister "Is that guy carrying a fish"?

After that I went to our local beach for a while. I wanted to catch up on some of my Women's Running magazines and do a few passes in the sand.  The sand was extra thick this day and there weren't a lot of people on it so it wasn't packed down. Anyone that has ever ran on the beach knows this makes it extra hard to run.  I ran barefoot and considered it cross training!




We are linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin  and the guest host for their Weekly Wrap series!

5 Marathon & Half Marathon Relay Races

This week's theme for the Friday 5 is Friends and Family.   Races are fun, but sharing the experience with friends and family makes it even better. Sometimes they come and support us which is great, but it's even better when they want to run with us.

Lately I haven't been very excited about running long distances so I've been researching races where I can share the distance with friends and family.

I've found  a few Marathon or Half marathon relays that I would be interested in doing and thought I would share.

 I've only focused on ones that are on the East Coast.


1. Hershey Half Marathon  - 2 person team.


2. Baltimore Marathon - 4 person team.


3.  Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon - 2 person team


4.  Pittsburgh Marathon - 2 to 5 person team.


5. Run A Palooza - This is a marathon that runs from Seaside Heights NJ to Asbury Park.  2-5 person team.


Tell me which relay race you've  run or one I should add to the list. -M

An InLinkz Link-up

Does your back pain effect your chest?

Yesterday I went to my chiropractor for an issue I've been struggling with going on 3 weeks now (maybe even more).

I first noticed it on a run a while back but thought it was an isolated incident and I really didn't think that it came from running or working out. Even so,  I haven't really done much running since then so I don't know why the pain continued.

I often have a pain in my neck (literally) and it feels like I have a very tight muscle and I can't turn my head all they way to the right side. This comes and goes and I'm not really sure what it comes from. It's always on the same side.

But this time the neck was the least of my worries.  I've been having this pain in my upper back (on the right side) below my shoulder. Any time I yawn, cough, or take a deep breath I can feel the pain in my chest.   I feel so cramped up and have been having Scott crack my back and shoulders every night and believe me, it all cracks!

After feeling this way all week at Disney, I finally made a Chiro appointment which was yesterday.

I told the Dr. what was wrong and as he sized me up, he could tell right away my neck was out of alignment and with one quick whip of the neck he cracked it into place! Wow, I did not see that coming.

Next, I was hooked up to the muscle stimulation machine which I've used before when I would come in for my hip and ITband. I can't say I exactly like this feeling.  If you've never used this machine before, it's electro pads they put on your skin and then its like a million spiders crawling around on your skin in order to stimulated your muscles. It doesn't hurt but sometimes the intensity can be too much and it is uncomfortable.

He then worked on my back and it did feel like every muscle in my body was cracking. It felt refreshing.  When I left there I felt okay but he said if I still feel problems to come back again on Friday.

Not more than an hour later, I felt the same thing. My neck doesn't hurt. but I have the same exact pain below my shoulder and I can feel pain in my chest when I breath, yawn, sneeze or cough.  I told one of my friends about this and she knew exactly what I was talking about and even explained the exact feeling to me before I even told her everything I was feeling. She has felt like this before.

I really don't want to go back to the Chiro on Friday because I'm not sure what more he will do for me other than what he already did. I'm hoping that he at least loosened something up maybe and it will work itself out over the next few days.  -M

Have you ever had this feeling? If so, what does it come from?

Summer Beauty and Pro Box

It's no secret that I like getting the subscription boxes in the mail.  Right now I only get the Beauty Box because I feel like it is a good price for the surprises that you get. Actually it's Free, and you only have to pay $5 shipping. I do believe this is only seasonal, so it's not even every month, which I like.

This is what I got in my Summer edition Beauty box.

If my memory serves me well, I do believe that I will get another one in late summer as well.

The other day I got a new surprised in the mail.  It was a box from GNC and it was addressed to Scott.  Of course I was curious as to what it was so he said I could go ahead and open it.

It was another subscription box with GNC goodies in it. So my husband now does subscription boxes, who knew?

We looked through it together and of course Scott said that I could have it.

Nothing in here really excited me except for this huge protein cookie. And to be honest, the cookie wasn't even that good. Anything that has the term "Birthday cake" on it should be sweet, and that wasn't.  Scott said this box comes every couple months, so I assume it is also a seasonal subscription. He said it was like $30  for the subscription, which I think is a bit too much, but you get coupons in it so I guess it's worth it to him since he buys a lot of stuff at GNC.

The GNC box is a "new to me" box. What boxes are new to you? Would you recommend them? -M


                                             We are linking up with the gals from TOTR.

A Week at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Last week Scott and I vacationed at Disney World and spent a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge.  We had a room in the main building, Jambo House, and sprung for a Savannah view room. Having a Savannah view room means that you have a balcony that overlooks one of the Savannahs where the animals roam. Not all rooms have that view.  I apologize in advance that this post is longer than what I usually write.  I will be including details that may help someone who might be planning their own trip to AKL.

Races that make my top 5

Thank you to Kim for suggesting this week's topic for the Friday Five.

I'm sure at some point over the years we've wrote a similar post about favorite races. However, I know that my list would not have been exactly the same as it is now because my #1 race is one I just ran this year for the first time.

I'll do it Tomorrow

How many times have you said “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I’ll do it later”?  Or maybe it was “Next week, I’m starting fresh”.

I’ve sure said it a time or two (or five or ten).  You can relate it to anything really, eating healthier, making a dr. appointment, doing laundry, calling an old friend. Why do we put off doing things that we know we should be doing?

I once read an article on procrastination. I don’t really consider myself a procrastinator but I guess it depends on the situation. The article mentioned that we procrastinate because we are afraid of failure. I’ve actually heard this saying several times and I’m not sure I agree with it.  I don’t do my laundry because I just don’t feel like it, not because I’m afraid of failing at it (although, I’m not very good at doing laundry so maybe there IS something too that).

I mentioned previously that I have a home gym (bike, treadmill, bowflex, weights, etc) but I don’t use it. I pay to go to a gym. I know it sounds silly but going to the gym was the only way I knew I would get my strength training it. I was paying for it, so I felt like I was being held accountable.  

The New York City Half Marathon was the last long distance race I ran and that was back in March. After that race, I took the rest of the month off from the gym and I never went back. My excuse was that I didn’t have any long distance races coming up and I thought that I could just “get by” doing some training on my own since I only planned to run “short distances” in the coming months.

So this is where I am now, I’ve run several shorter distance races and I have still not done any strength training since March.  I keep saying “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I’ll make a new plan on Monday and actually stick with it”. I haven’t . I need to thank my lucky stars that I haven’t ended up injured yet.  

What’s the hardest thing for you to stick with?  Perhaps we need to start a little group to help hold each other accountable. Who’s with me? -M