Hi Friends! TGIF, or in our household, TGI-almost-the-end-of-our-colds. We’ve had a bad bout of illness in our house and we are hopefully going into the weekend much stronger than the last.

PSA: This past Wednesday, June 1 was National Running Day! To celebrate, I thought I’d share a little update on my running as well as some encouragement for yours.

Prior to having children, I was a pretty consistent runner. My typical “regular route” was about 6 miles with comfortable pace ranging from a 7:30-8:30/mile. I ran a few half marathons, a couple Ragnars and was training for my first full marathon when I found out I was pregnant with Miss Maven. For a variety of health and pregnancy complications, that training did stop at a peak of 16-17 miles. Post-baby, I was back to running regularly though haven’t been pushing myself too hard for quite some time. And, now that I think about it, I haven’t run greater than 7 miles in about a year. That last peak mileage was actually when I was 11 weeks pregnant with Sylvie and ran Ragnar Cape Cod!

I’ve been trying to log more miles lately with distances ranging from 2-5.5 miles. I’ll talk about some of the challenges to fitting those miles in and accommodating my littles in a future post, but today, I am happy to report that I celebrated National Running Day with 2.5 miles while pushing Maven in the B.O.B. Revolution SE Single Stroller. It was a gorgeous summer night and she actually sat very contently {I’m amazed! This typical 2-year-old doesn’t sit still these days.} while asking me about a bazillion questions about the birds, trees, sky, grass, rainbows and where we were in relation to our house. {How the heck do you describe to a toddler that a house is behind you, but not directly behind you and that you’re making a loop back to it, but it’s not quite like a circle?! Ah the questions!} I also celebrated by officially signing up for the North Face Endurance Trail Half Marathon which will take place on Sunday, September 18 in Kettle Moraine State Park. I’ve never run a trail race before, so I’m pretty excited about that, and I’m looking forward to working toward a new goal and upping my distance again.

One of my current running shoes: Asics 2 Gel-Excite & Our favorite jogging stroller!

Running Goals

Some of you may be far more avid runners than I am, some of you may not be able to even fathom running a few miles and maybe the rest of you fall somewhere in the middle. The definition of a runner can vary, and that is a beautiful thing. It’s my hope that among the spectrum of you runners out there, something I say will resonate with you. I strive for balance in my training and compliment it with circuits, strength building and yoga. I think that makes me a pretty average fit gal!

I haven’t selected a formal training plan to follow as of yet for the trail half, but I do have some personal thoughts on how to accomplish a running goal {or this can apply to any fitness goal, just translate the language} when I set one:

Just go.

• Do you only have time or stamina for 1 mile? That’s still awesome, despite what your skeptical thoughts may tell you. Log the miles, even if it only is one or a few at a time.

Don’t check your watch.

• Unless you are at the point of trying to increase your speed or following a strict training regimen with speed workouts, do not even worry in the slightest about your time. Slow and fast are all relative.

Out with the bad and in with the good.

• Out with the bad thoughts and in with the good ones. If you haven’t read more about who I am, take a look. I can be hard on myself. This can be both good and bad. This means I push myself to accomplish and surpass goals, but unfortunately can be critical in the process. {Working on this!} So, if you’re anything like me, don’t think about if anyone is watching you, if anyone will see your time, or judge your progress. If you have to walk, walk. If you can run the whole way, run or run more. Put one foot in front of the other and step toward your goal. Be your own biggest competitor AND your own biggest fan.

Celebrate success & reward yourself.

• Did you follow your plan for the week? Did you surpass your top mileage? Did you increase your speed? Did you sign up for or finish a race? You are strong and vibrant and amazing. Celebrate it all!

Feel good in the process.

• Follow healthy living principles to get the right nutrients in your body, stay hydrated and get enough rest. Another little secret of mine is getting new work-out gear. If you look good, you feel good and perform better. 🙂

 

I challenge you to set a new goal and log a mile or a few this weekend. I know I will. I’m looking forward to a nice sunny, quiet, dog-free, kid-free, stroller-free run.

 

XO

 

Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links for which I would receive a small commission should you click and purchase. I appreciate your support!

 

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