Skunks, Dreams, and Stonehenge...

Ever have that run where you're flying along effortlessly, smile on your face because you KNOW you're going a little too fast, but damn, it feels so good. And then out of nowhere, pops this guy:

Who makes you come to a screeching halt, as you have a stare down, silently negotiating with the stinky creature, and  you both plot your next move?

That's been my life this week. Mostly floating along, blissfully naive, and then everything came to a screeching halt, where I've been left spending way too much time negotiating with myself, and plotting my next moves.

I also had a marathon dream last night, and I don't even have a damn race on the calendar. I remember that the course had terrible mileage signage, and I was screeching at all the volunteers that it was the crappiest marathon I had ever run. I may have even thrown a paper cup full of Gatorade at someone. Yikes, I really need to lock it up.

This week feels like mile 22 of a marathon, where you run directly into the proverbial "wall". Although if you're like me, a stupid wall isn't going to hold you back. You mock the wall, as if to say "really, that's all you've got?". My "wall" this week is more like Stonehenge

See all those little openings? That's where I weasel my way out of a crappy time, and give the "swear finger" (copyright Caitlyn) to the wall in my rear-view mirror. With a a pair of Brooks Adrenaline's in one hand, and a bottle of Patron in the other.

I have the worlds best friends, so I am latching onto all of them this weekend, to ensure a full- filled  weekend with lots of good times. I'm looking forward to lots of laughs at dinners with both my sister tonight, and then some friends tomorrow night. I shall then bring home Lisa to the finish line at the Cape Cod Marathon Sunday (I'll be running the last 10K with her), and finally capping off the weekend with a solid Tequila Sunday night. Booyah.

So that's life in a nutshell right now. Oh, and it snowed last night - in frickin October. Caitlyn was thrilled, I'm not quite ready for ski season. And it ruins my lemonade stand idea, to raise money for this marathon I'm currently obsessing over:

Maybe I'll do a frozen lemonade stand at the end of my driveway instead? Hmmmmmmm....

Happy Training!

Are you a closet "Phoebe Runner"??

Just having a day. A day where being a grown-up is hard. You all know what I'm talking about.

I went for my run earlier this morning, and the day kinda went south from there. I made a comment on Twitter  that on days like this, I wish I were doing a double because running just has that therapeutic way about it. My friend Dan responds with "sometimes you just gotta take a Phoebe run". I found the video, and laughed my ass off because if I DID go out to run right now, this is EXACTLY how I'd do it. Just because I can.

Unfortunately a run isn't in the cards for me this afternoon, but at least I was able to get a solid laugh in.

Don't worry friends, the splish-bling-stalking-indecisive-race-calendar-Meaghan will be back tomorrow. Promise.

Happy Training!

I interrupt your day to bring you this...

Its no secret I love to swim.

Swimming and I are like Lindsey Lohan and the law - super tight. I ventured away from the sport for awhile, but started to dabble my toes back in the swimming waters (pun very much intended) again a couple years ago.

The "athletic" swimsuits I currently own are faaaaaaarrrr past their prime - they are from the old racing days, and one can really only stack so many nasty, see thru swimsuits on top of each other before you just start looking cheap, and really dumb. Especially since the pool I swim in has a lot of young fast athletes that I like to pretend I can compete with. Despite my recent announcement that I won't be doing Ironman next year (should I have done an official press conference for that one?), you bet your ass you'll still find me in the cool kid lane of my local high school at the butt crack of dawn once a week.

A friend mentioned that the best swimsuits ever can be found here.

Ummmm, I'm in love. Although now I have TOO many choices! I mean seriously - when you're faced with either beating down 17 year olds in this suit:

Or either of these:

how does one choose?

While I debate which of these fantabulous suits I will purchase, I shall daydream about all the wee ones staring at elephant footprints on my ass as I pass them in the pool.

* I now return you to your regularly scheduled day*

Happy Training!

So many races, yet only 12 months in a year...

(no, I haven't made the pumpkin bread yet - the weekend got too busy, so it's on the agenda this week. However, if you DID make it over the weekend, let me know how it came out!!)

I have ZERO races on the calendar right now. Nothing I'm committed to. Zippy, zilch, nada. And it's freaking me out something fierce.

As I've started to re-aquaint myself with running post-Chicago, I've realized just how hard it is for me to truly engage in a run that involves more than a "picking flowers" pace without having a true race goal. I know there are a lot of people out there that can run for the pure love of it, and never feel like they need to "get" something out of it. That person is clearly not me.

Over the weekend I really started thinking about my race plan for 2012.  The one thing I do know for sure is that I will continue with my run focus, meaning there is no Ironman in the cards for me at this point. I waffled on this for awhile, especially after racing Pumpkinman back in September. I was sure at that point that I wanted to switch my training to a multi-sport arena. And while that race was so much fun, and I know that triathlon does hold a place in my future, it's not now. I still have a lot of unfinished business left with running, and I'm not willing to move on just yet. I have a LOT of goals, especially with the half marathon and marathon, that I want to conquer before I start throwing a significant amount of swimming and biking in the mix.

Which leads me to figuring out how to structure 2012:

(1) a late winter/early spring marathon, followed by a late fall marathon. This would avoid any potential "hot weather" races, which would be ideal.

(2) a focus on the half marathon distance through the spring, get my PR down under 1:40, and then take that speed and apply it to a late fall marathon

(3) my traditional schedule, which involves a half in the winter, leading up to a April/May marathon, then repeating the cycle again, culminating at an October marathon.

So what does a Type A person such as myself do with this information? Put it all is a spreadsheet of course!

I am the proud owner of a 3-tabbed Excel spreadsheet, each tab with the above-referenced scenarios. On each sheet, I have listed out several races, location, cost, and average temperature. Yes, average temperature. Go ahead and judge me. I have small races, large races, local races, and ones that are not even in this country.

Have I made any decisions yet? Nope. However I least I feel like I'm more in control, and have the tools to make a race calendar that will help make 2012 MY year to excel at running.

I want to hear about everyone's favorite races - throw them all at me! Reading reviews on Marathon Guide is only getting me so far! Although beware, if I pick a race that's near your house, you may have company marathon weekend! 

Happy Training!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread..

I am THE worst cook. Honestly. Case in point, the smoke alarm went off while I was "cooking" dinner for Caitlyn and I, and she says "don't worry momma, I'm used to it. It doesn't scare me anymore". Wonderful, I can only imagine what she's going to say in school on "Fire Safety Day".

However, in the fall and winter, I love to bake. Or make the batter, lick the bowl, and burn the product I was attempting to bake. Details.

Caitlyn asked if we could make pumpkin bread this upcoming weekend, and I stumbled across this recipe. I thought I might share, post their pictures, and then do a follow-up post with what MY bread looked like.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Yield: 3 loaves bread

Cook Time: 60 minutes

ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.

4. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.

5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Up next - getting back into running, and putting some more races on the calendar - WOOP!!! 

Happy Training!

I'm Alive...

Fear not friends, I am alive..

Life is kicking my butt right now, and haven't had enough time to sit and blog, or really keep up on all my blogging friends. Please let me know if there's something big going on that I'm missing!

I started some easy running again post-Chicago, and I'm feeling the best I ever have post-marathon. I've spun a few times on the trainer, and also did a 5K last Sunday for good measure. As I crossed the finish line, promptly remember why I stick to marathons and NOT 5Ks - my legs don't work that way.

It's bizarre not having any races on the calendar, and frankly, I don't like it. I love having something to work for, and a goal that I'm reaching to attain when I put on my shoes everyday. I have a lot of races floating around in my head, and have looked at Marathon Guide more than a dozen times over the past week.

Throw me some suggestions friends - what are some of your favorite winter/early spring marathons? I am willing to travel, so hit me up with any awesome races you might have done, or heard of! 

I promise, after this week, I'll be around more often!

Until then, Happy Training!

Product Review - North Face Women's Stow-n-Go High Impact Sport Bra

Otherwise known as the best long distance running/race sports bra EVER!

Ever since I've been a distance runner, when I ran long or raced, I've worn a long sports bra with gel pockets in the back to carry my fuel. I can't wear a long sports bra without another shirt over it, because I'm just too self-conscious.  The two layers works perfectly when it's cool outside, but when it's hot, a long bra plus another tank is just too much. This results in me getting a lot of chafage because I'm shoving gels in my sports bra, or carrying them, which just gets annoying after 10-15 miles.

While walking through the North Face store in Chicago Saturday afternoon, I stumbled across this bra:

If you look closely, you can see the separation in the most exterior layer and the layer that sits against your skin. The ENTIRE front of the bra is a giant pocket!! I instantly fell in love, and then pulled the trigger on defying one of the cardinal rules of distance racing. I decided to wear it for the first time, the very next day, for the Chicago Marathon.

Race morning I lubed myself with tons of body glide to avoid chafage that the new bra might cause. I was simply giddy as I was loading myself with my 17,000 gels that I anticipated using during the race, and they fit PERFECTLY in the pocket. Sure, I'm sure during the race it may have looked like I was groping myself, but small price to pay to run the race carrying nothing.

Performance-wise, it worked like a gem. Granted, I'm not very well endowed (a small B cup), so I can't speak to it's performance in bigger chested women. However, for me, it was awesome. I was able to get my gels out very easily, didn't get chafed at all, and was totally comfortable. The pocket is totally flush with the inside layer, so it's very tight and not distracting. I also had zero issues with the bra when it got soaking wet during the race.

I hope more companies follow suit - it's a great idea for endurance athletes!

I wasn't asked or paid by North Face to write this review - these are my own thoughts and opinions. 


Happy Training!