Training for my 50K

I know I haven't talked much about my training for my 50k that is actually coming up this weekend.  I cannot believe it is here already. It always seems so far away when you register for the race. I admit

I never had a real training plan on any of my marathons I've run. Mainly because my crazy work schedule has never allowed for it. But this time was different, because I was able to make the time for a training plan.

 

 

 It still wasn't as strict of one like others may set up but it worked for me and that's all that matters. In addition to running a few times through the week, I made sure I progressively added my mileage for my long run on the weekends. My longest run in this training cycle was 21 miles. That was two weeks ago. I felt pretty good during the run and even afterwards.

 

BUT the next day my knee started bothering me, which was odd because I have never had that feeling before. I have had some IT Band problems in the past, but this was different.  Such bad timing!  So many thoughts were running through my head. What if my knee continued to bother me and I don't even make it to the starting line or what if I begin and  have to DNF. That is one of my biggest fears. I kept thinking in the back of my head. My sister may be right.  She was nervous for me having such a big race before my Goofy Challenge in January.  I assured her that everything would be fine when I signed up for the race. Of course no one thinks they are going to get an injury during their training. Everybody has a goal in mind for their races, usually time related, but this one is just to finish for me. Luckily it rained the rest of the week so that was my excuse to not get out and run at all (even though I do have a treadmill). But I thought it would do my body good to take some time off and relax.

This weekend I knew it was going to be beautiful!  There was no way I was going to miss a run with this weather. 60 + degrees in Central PA in December,  I'll take it! So off I went for a run. My goal was to go for about an hour.  I knew if that's all I was going, there was no need to carry water with me. I was about halfway through my run and I started getting very thirsty. I think it was because I didn't drink enough in the morning. Luckily my Uncle's house was on the route I was running. And it just so happened he was outside grilling ribs that smelled delicious when I ran by. He asked if I wanted a rib for the road. As much as I wanted to say yes, I declined.  After grabbing a quick drink I was back to my run. My uncle use to used to run back in the day, so he gets it!  He even qualified for Boston with a finishing time of 2:57 at Steamtown marathon a few years ago. How awesome is that? 

Anyways, that little pit stop was just what I needed to  get me through my run. I finished a strong 8 miles. The best part was not having any knee pain throughout the run! I guess all I needed was the rest. I am going to take the rest of the week off until my race. Let's hope it feels just as good this coming weekend for my  50K race and I get to the starting line and make it to the finish line without any pain.    -L

What is your biggest fear in a race?

Have you ever DNS or DNF before?

 

We are linking up with the gals from TOTR.

 

Disney's Contemporary Resort

We are continuing to plan our marathon trip for January, so I thought it was only appropriate that we talk about Disney resorts. It is our goal to always try new resorts but once we find ones we like, we tend to keep visiting them again and again. It's a good thing we do plenty of Disney races!

Last year for marathon weekend my sister and I stayed at the Contemporary resort. The last time we had stayed here we were just kids and remembered it not being very "Disney-ish".  Because of it's convenient location along the monorail line we decided to give it another try.

I must say that now that I am an adult, this resort is among my favorites!  Here's why.

1. It's the perfect place to stay for a race weekend (at least for those races that start at Epcot).  The Contemporary is the last stop on the monorail line before you switch monorails to go straight to Epcot.  We love the fact that we can wait inside for the monorail and not have to board a bus.


2. Location of the Contemporary resort is key. Not only is it along the monorail line, but it is with in walking distance  to Magic Kingdom and only a quick boat ride ( or jogging path) away from two other deluxe resorts that have some fabulous dining options.

3. The rooms. Need I say more. The rooms are absolutely fabulous.  When we come for a race weekend we have a LOT of stuff. The large rooms here gives us plenty of space to spread it all out and still have space to move around.

The desk area here gives us lots of space to plug in all our running accessories!

 The beds at the deluxe resort are suppose to be comfier too. I know these beds were nice but to be honest, I fall asleep fast so to me, all the other resort beds are nice too.

And as you can see, there is a touch of Disney in the décor too.

I neglected to get a picture of our view, but it was a great one. It overlooked the Seven Seas Lagoon and we had a great view of the Electrical Water Pageant. Actually, the first night we were there we went to bed early. A little while later I heard my sister ask me to turn the volume off on my phone. I wondered what she was talking about. Here she thought I was playing games on my phone because of all the little beeping noises.  The noise was actually the water parade going on outside our window!

4. Food options. The Contemporary is known for Chef Mickey's Character meals, but even the quick service spot "The Contempo Cafe" is fabulous. I've had many good meals here.

5. The grounds are really beautiful and lots of places to relax and take in the scenery.

You can see the Wishes fireworks from the Contemporary and if you want to take one of the fireworks cruises, they leave from the dock here too.


 The Contemporary is on the higher end of the price scale but there are times when you can get a really good deal. Many people who come for race weekend say that they only need a room to sleep in and that's it. Although that is true, when we go to Disney for race weekends we don't always plan to go to the parks (because we don't know how we will feel after a race).  We do spend a LOT of time at the resort so for that reason we make sure to stay at a place we will enjoy and has great food options!

What do you like about this place?

5 DIY Gifts for Runners

Have you made your list? Have you checked it twice?  There always seems to be much more on my list of things to do and stuff to make for the holidays than I ever have time for.

Throughout the year I have all these ideas of things I want to make for the other runners in my life (or myself). I believe that personal gifts are the best and for that reason I want to share a few of them here with you for this "Gift Guide" post.

1. One of  my favorite gifts that I created was actually something that I gave my sister last year. It was a "Runner Snack Box".  I was throwing around the idea of gifting her one of those subscription boxes but couldn't find one that had the snacks I knew she would like. The solution was I made this.

                                       How I made the BEST Runner Snack box.

2. Several years ago I made my sister this DIY Medal display with a collage picture frame, some cup hooks and a painted dowel rod. I wanted something that could display pictures of the races as well as hold the medals and this was it!

                                  How I made the picture frame medal display.

3. If you don't want to put that much time into making a display (or you don't want the pictures), you can always get something like the one I made for our mom.

                                                  Another DIY Medal Display

4. I know one of Lacey's favorite race projects is her personalized Boston mug. This is better than anything she could have ever bought at the expo! Why not surprise your favorite runner with a mug that has their favorite race bib on it.

How to get a custom race mug ( and other products)

 

5. Another gift that made our list this year is this blanket from Project Repat. Our Friend Heather had this made last year with race shirts. We think its a cool idea but neither one of us has been able to take the plunge to cut apart our race shirts. Maybe in a couple years!

 

                                               How to do a custom race shirt blanket.

 

Are you working on any DIY or personalized holiday gifts?

 

We are linking up with the gals from the Friday 5!

 

PA Gal designs ActiveWear

Because I write a Fashion Column for a newspaper, I am introduced to different brands and designers. I really like when those brands and designers are fitness related because then I can share what I've learned here on the blog with you all.

Earlier this summer I was introduced to Katie Kozloff who is the founder of Katie K Activewear, which you may have heard of.  I was first connected with her because she is from Pennsylvania. During the interview process with Katie, I had found out that she had read my column and had even visited our blog a few times. She said that she really enjoyed how fitness minded I was and that I would be a great fit for her ambassador program and sent me an application to apply.

I admit, I was both flattered and a bit taken back. First of all, I make a point to only become an ambassador for products that I already use and know that I enjoy. Second of all, I admit I had some pre-conceived notions of the Katie K brand. I have seen some other bloggers talk about it on social media and to be honest, I didn't think her clothing came in my size. Boy was I WRONG!

Yes, Katie K Activewear might best be known for it's generous size range (ranging up to a size 3XL Plus), but that does not take away from the fact that it has sizes such as smalls and extra smalls too.   This was something that I did not know until I started shopping on the site. What a beautiful  collection that Katie K has.   Katie generously sent me some of the collection to try and I agreed to be an ambassador for a fellow PA gal to help promote her line. I think it was a perfect fit.

Signature Burnout tank in Vivid Blue Zebra Print:  I love how light weight this tank is. It's pretty sheer so I always wear a black sports bra underneath. When I wear it to the gym I wear a cami under it.  You can see in the first picture above that this shirt has little toggles on the side. This is a nice touch but I could see how this could annoy someone as they ran or worked out. Over all its a nice shirt and actually looks better on your body than it does on my mannequin.

Signature Tunic Tee in Coral: I love this tunic but to be honest, I wouldn't run in it. It's a little heavier than what I would normally wear to run but I'm just taking that as a sign of good quality. I love that this is a piece of active wear that I could actually dress up if I wanted to. I could wear this with yoga pants or leggings to the gym and still feel put together enough to go run errands afterwards. (Oh who am I kidding, I've run errands before looking like a sweaty mess)

Signature Urban Capri: There is so much to love about these signature capris. I love that they are so soft but my favorite thing is the pocket. Anytime I have a hidden pocket in my workout wear I get excited!

If you would like to try out some of Katie's pieces, you can use my code MERANDA15 to save 15% off your order AND Free shipping. Who doesn't like a discount and free shipping?????


Although I do get paid to write my fashion column, I was not compensated to write this blog post. I just wanted to share because Katie is a PA gal and I wanted to help promote her products.

Finding the right ones

I don't quite remember why, but when I first got my I-pod several years ago the earbuds that came with it just didn't work for me (or maybe they broke) I just don't remember. But I do remember being on a very specific search for the right earbuds.

Here are the ones I've tried.

1. Snug buds - I know many runners swear by these. My sister has had several pairs. They seem to go static-y after a while but because you can return them with in a year, she's been able to replace them. I got a pair for Christmas one year and honestly, I hated them.  First off, I don't like things sticking that far in my ear (so that was the first problem). The second problem was that because they were so far in my ear, I felt like I was stuck in a bubble. I could not hear anything ( and I literally mean anything) that was going on in the world around me.  This is good for someone who wants to block out EVERY noise around them but I like to be aware of what is going on while still listening to music.

2. Because I don't like things completely in my ear, I thought I would try this over the ear model. After one run, I've determined these things were useless. They would not stay put.

3. The following Christmas I was hoping for a pair of Yurbuds since I heard so many great things about them. Turns out I got a pair of nice Sony earbuds. I REALLY liked these. These were no fancy shape like Yurbuds or Snugbuds, they were just the round disc shape. Over the years I had lost the little foam cover that goes over the ear pieces but I continued to wear them and they were perfect.

Until...... The day I crushed them in my car seat.  I suppose you need a visual. 

While traveling to and from the trail I put my ipod in the cup holder in my car. Apparently I did not noticed that one of the strands had fallen in between my seats, When I moved my seat to get out of the car I completely crushed the earbud. It was beyond repair.  So now my search had started all over again.

You would think I could find the same Sony pair, but oh no. That would be too easy.

4. My sister decided that she wasn't crazy about her Yurbuds and offered to give them to me. Turns out I wasn't crazy a bout them either. It was the shape that I just couldn't get to stay in my ear.

5. last year for Christmas I had bought Scott a pair of the wireless earbuds from Sharper Image. I thought maybe these would work but they are Bluetooth and I don't believe they work with my ipod.

So what did I finally find?

A pair of cheapo JVC earbuds from Best Buy. Seriously, these were the only ones I could find that were shaped like my old Sony ones. They we only $10 and I've had them now for the majority of my training cycle and they work like a charm!

Tell me what worked and didn't work for you?  -M

Five Dream Vacations

This week's theme for the Friday Five is Five dream vacations.
I will say the we are definitely two gals who love to travel and we are very fortunate to have visited a lot of places in the world. With that being said, I honestly have no desire to travel that far from home anymore (maybe that will change in the future). I know a lot of that has to do with my dog, but really I just don't have the desire, especially in the state of distress many countries seem to be experiencing lately. And, I don't like to fly long distances!

I will share five wonderful vacations that we have already experienced and maybe some of you will catch that travel bug!

Of course Disney is one of our favorite places to visit but that would be too obvious for us to list, right?

1. England : Highlights of the trip included touring the Tower of London, seeing Les Miserables at
the Palace Theatre, riding the London Underground  (the tube), visiting Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guards (as we tried to get the guard to crack a smile), Warwick Castle, and the Thames River Cruise.

2. Ireland: Highlights include visiting Blarney Castle ( and kissing the Blarney stone which gives you the gift of gab), visiting the Rock of Cashel, the Dingle Peninsula, seeing a real gypsy wagon, entertaining music at St.John Gogerty's Irish pub in Dublin, seeing U2's apartment, and seeing To Dance on the Moon, a traditional Irish song and dance performance.

3. Jamaica:  This was one of my favorite vacations because I am a warm weather gal.  My favorite activities hands down were climbing Dunn's River Falls and Swimming with the dolphins.

4. Alaska: This was never one of my dream destinations, but it was Scott's so that is why we went. I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. Highlights include Whale watching (and seeing sea lions), and riding the train through the White Pass and Yukon Route. There is just SO much history here .I loved it!

5. Cruises: It doesn't matter where the destination is. I love to be on a cruise ship. I've gone to Bahamas, Grand Cayman Island, Nova Scotia, Key West, and Mexico just to name a few. If you ever get to go on a cruise ship DO IT. It is definitely a blast and really NOT about the destination at all. It's definitely about the journey!

I will also give New York City an honorable mention. We live so close so it's not really a travel destination, but we LOVE going onto the city, especially this time of year. If you've never been to NYC, it is a must do. We love central park,  going to the museums, going to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockett's Christmas Spectacular, seeing the tree in Rockafeller Center and just all the festivities that come with it. Next year (when I'm not in marathon training) I definitely want to ice skate at Trump rink!

What's your Holiday training routine?

Last week was sort of a tough one. Not mentally tough or physically tough, but just tough sticking to my schedule. Like most of you, I am a creature of habit. I actually get a little annoyed when I have to adjust my schedule.

Let's start with Monday. Monday is always my gym day but I had parent teacher conferences at school so I had to stay late. I didn't get to go to the gym.

Tuesday I did get to go to the gym.

Wednesday I got done with work at 12:30. I thought I could get in a nice long gym work out (since it would be closed Thursday and Friday) but of course plans have changed. We decided we would get a head start on our holiday traveling, so we left town as soon as I got home from work.

Thursday morning I did get a short run in with my nephew. It was only a little over a mile, but hey it was something.

Friday it was gorgeous out! I decided that it was a perfect 60 degree day to do my long run. Why should I have to wait till Saturday, right?

 EXCEPT, I got roped into putting the christmas lights up. By the time we got done, I knew I didn't have 2 more hours of daylight left to do the long run. I guess I'll do it Saturday.

Saturday came and it was rainy. I said I would go when it cleared up. It never really did but it got to the point where it stopped raining but was gloomy. I had a baby shower to go to later and again didn't think I'd have enough time to do the run and come back and get ready.

Sunday was the day I was going to run for sure. But then I was really lacking motivation and quite honestly I was afraid to go take a long run after only having worked out once that week. I had some encouraging words from a runner friend about just getting out there and doing it! I didn't listen though. My fear got the best of me. I stayed in and did some online shopping!

Okay, now Monday was starting a new week. I was gonna kick last week to the curb and start fresh.
I got up early and had a great LONG workout at the gym. I then met my sister and did 4.5 miles through town while working on our #runchat scavenger hunt. I had a blast. Our run was so much fun and it really felt good to get out there!

As much as I hate to deviate from my planned runs/ workout routines, I know that I can pick up and start over because Monday is always a new week. I just don't want to make a habit of it. I'd like to blame it on the wonky holiday week when no one is sticking to their usual schedule (even the gym), but I don't know if that is entirely true. I just hope I can maintain some sort of regular schedule during Christmas break. How does your work out schedule change during the holidays?   Or doesn't it?