Tag: Running

When Ironman Becomes The New Normal

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After a few years of racing Ironman, John and I have got a solid rhythm. We have a routine that works for pre-, during- and post-race. I’m not saying that Ironman has gotten boring–because for me it definitely hasn’t–but I will say that much of the mystery and uncertainty has been revealed. The unexpected still happens, but in general, we know how the system works. Nutrition, gear, spectating – we got our routines and they work. So what do you do to shake things up? Well, if you are my crazy husband, you sign up for a 100 mile ultrarun. …

Getting My Irish On: Annual St. Pat’s Boardwalk 10 miler

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For 5 or 6 years now, my spring season has begun with the St. Pat’s Boardwalk 10 mile run, which runs up and down the length of the Atlantic City-Ventnor Boardwalk. This is a very community-friendly race, that raises money for The Donny Fund. I love doing this race, as many of my friends from the local running and triathlon community come out of winter hibernation to enjoy a fun and festive day. This year the weather was still in winter mode, with 35-40 degree temps, and a relatively light 10-12 mph northeast wind. Compared to some years, this is great …

A race for you, a race for me: The two-athlete household

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“What are you doing today?” John asks me each morning. Now, in the average household, when one partner asks the other what she is doing, this typically results in a response about the totality of the day’s scheduled events. In the two-athlete household, this question only means one thing: What’s your workout? There are other idiosyncrasies to the two-athlete household. The laundry. Oh. Em. Gee. The laundry. Even though there are only two of us, we manage to produce a Brady Bunch sized volume of laundry.  This is complicated by the fact that there is a forcefield surrounding the laundry that makes …

Running Music: The beat of my own lyrics

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My running music playlist is an embarrassment to “real” music. It’s full of candy pop, hip hop, booty bop, and electronic rock. I don’t always run with music, but when I do, my primary goal for a running song is the beat. I need the boom-boom-boom-boom to work with the cadence of my footfalls, so this frequently leads me to “that” section of iTunes in search of the boom-ba-doom-ba-boom-ba-doom-boom bass. I’m particularly partial to any song that has the word “remix” in the title. While I select songs based a fast beat, after listening to them over and over, the lyrics do …

The Breath

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Breathing. A simple, taken-for-granted action of the body that drives everything we do. We will continue to breath (hopefully!) whether we think about it or not. But, when we breath with intention, we can get so much more from our breath. My yoga instructor begins and ends her classes with a series of breathing exercises, which she refers to in Sanskrit as pranayama. These exercises teach us how to extend and control our breath, for if we control our breath (or our life force), we can better manage our movements. Or perhaps, more precisely, we can be more in tune with …

I put my hat on

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I put my hat on, and head to the end of my driveway. I look left, right. I make the turn onto my street. The movement is de-li-cious after a long ride, hunched over aerobars. Now, I move the way I was made to move. I tug on the hat to make sure it is snug and low. I see the stretch of road ahead of me. There is magic in this moment, in the pitter pat of my feet. Magic. Pitter pat. Just like this. Pitter pat. My muscles and tendons stretch, and give a yawn. They open to the …

Thanks for asking

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Many times, I’ve been asked different variations on the same question: “Why?” Why do you run? And, why do you run sooooo far? What makes you want to do an Ironman? Repeatedly? Are you going to keep doing Ironmans all the time now? So, is all this stuff the new normal? Why would you put your body through all of that?  Because I’m not sure the person truly wants to hear the real answer, I usually offer up something quick like “It’s fun,” or “Because I can.” Then, I offer a nervous smile, because I feel fairly certain that the …

No matter how big, how old, or how skilled: Your body is amazing

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If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, then you probably know that I have struggled with body image and disordered eating. You may also have figured out that endurance sport (both distance running and triathlon) has helped me to appreciate my body for what it can do.  For the most part, I’ve learned I don’t have to look like the tall, thin women on the covers of magazines. (Yes, there are times I catch myself poking and pinching my body, wishing it was different. I imagine that will always be the case for me.) Despite my misgivings …

Go, Speed Racer, Go! A Review of Newton’s MV2 Sneakers

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Three years ago, I put on my first pair of Newton sneakers, and I’ve never worn a different brand of sneakers since. I’ve gone through countless pairs of the Gravity trainers, and added the Terrus Momentus to my lineup for trail running. Suffice to say, I’m a Newton Girl. Recently, I was offered the opportunity to review their new race flats – the MV2 speed racers. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. From the moment I took them out of the box, one thing was very clear about the MV2‘s: They are light. The box they came in weighed more than the …

Girl Power Posse Tackles the Atlantic City St. Patty’s 10 miler & 5k

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I volunteered to pick everyone up before the 34th Annual Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Day 10 miler & 5k, held last Saturday, March 17. Once we were all assembled in the car, I said, “Okay, I have something to get us mentally focused. Ready?” The car chimed in with a chorus of “Ready!” I hit play on the car’s CD player. “‘Cause I’m a fighter,” Rocky intoned from the speakers. “That’s the way I’m made, Adrian. We can’t change what we are.” And then the sounds of the Rocky theme blasted throughout the car. For me, there is nothing like …