I'm giving into the 'Three Things Thursday'. All the cool kids are doing it, so...
1. Do you know how to spell drama? It appears I do. This week it is spelled R-e-d-R-o-c-k-R-e-l-a-y. We were down two runners over the weekend, so our team has been scrambling to find replacements! We finally found some girls to step in and then one of the drop outs was cleared by her doctor yesterday and is back in. So I had to let one of my friends down that was doing us a big favor to join us for our race. So hard. I still feel horrible that I got her excited and then let her down. She was very understanding and kind. Thank you Jan! So now we finally have a full team and we are heading out this afternoon.
2. On a brighter note, I'm picking up the Tshirts today for our team! They are going to be so cute I can't even stand it! I was hoping I'd have them earlier this week so I could post them but you'll just have to wait. Oooh the suspense.
3. Our team is leaving in about 8 hours and I haven't packed a thing. Seriously. Are you wondering why? Well, while I'm going to be out on the race course for 36 hours, at least 6 people will be staying at my house from my husband's family (his parents, his brother, another brother plus a wife, and a cousin)! They are flying in from California and I will only be able to say 'Hi and Bye' as I walk out the door. So not only am I leaving my immediate family behind for a few days, but in-laws too. And yes I've been cleaning and doing laundry like a mad woman this week. Because I have to leave the impression that we live this clean with everything in order all the time. : ) Crazy timing. At least I'll make it back really late Saturday night and be able to spend the day with them Sunday before they leave.
4. Oops, I got one more. I need some positive thoughts and prayers sent my way. My foot is still bothering me. I'm just hoping that I can enjoy this race weekend with all the girls and still be pain-free for next week's marathon. Wishful thinking? I hope not. I've tried the tricks that some of you have suggested and I'll baby it as much as I can. I'll ice it in between my runs, massage it and I'm bringing a tennis ball to roll my foot over. I'm sure the combination will work! Happy thoughts!
RED ROCK RELAY.... Here we come! So excited...can't wait! This time tomorrow morning we'll be up on Brianhead Ski Resort! Our race starts by riding up the ski lift to the start. So fun! Now I can concentrate on packing... and a little more straightening up. : ) Have a great weekend friends!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
VItality Giveaway Winner! and another Tune...
We have ourselves a winner!
drumroll....
#26 by Random.org...
Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Highway To Health
You have won the Vitality Nutrition $40 Giveaway! Are you so excited? You should be! Congratulations! Email me at racingdawn@gmail.com with your info and I'll get you all set up with the gift certificate.
Don't worry friends, more giveaways to come!
Onto running notes. Still haven't run since the weekend. My foot is still bothering me. I'm feeling like a blob going this long without a run. I might have to squeak out a short easy run tomorrow just to feel better. I'm just not sure what's gonna happen to my foot. I'm so excited for my relay. It will be the first one I've done! But my main focus is the Top of Utah Marathon next week. Can't be hurt for that. It's not an option. I've tried some flexing exercises, massaging it, ibuprofen. Anybody got any more ideas? Some magic balm, athletic tape? Seriously, I'll try anything...
And yes, I'm still on the Girl Power mode... so here's another tune to get you all hyped for the Bountiful Babes relayers! Love this song by Alicia Keys with a little help from Jay Z. Just substitute 'New York' with 'Southern Utah'. It works, right? ; ) Still gets you pumped on a run, this song is all about making it happen! Enjoy!
Thank you, thank you...you shouldn't have.
10. My family
9. People who turn the sprinklers on in the morning - it helps cool me off during my run!
8. Cherry coke
7. Cats that don't bring in mice : )
6. The color blue
5. Fall racing
4. A clean house - which rarely happens, but man when it does, it's the best.
3. Fried pickles from the The Garden Restaurant - believe me, they're gooooood!
2. New shoes
1. Hugs out of nowhere from my kids!
So now I have to shout out to the blogs I like. I thought it'd be fun to send it out to the fellas. They always leave great comments with advice and encouragment. Thanks guys - you're great to us ladies in blogland!
1. Kovas at Midwest Multisport Life
2. Johann at Run Tall, Walk Tall
3. Michael B. at 12 Months 12 Races
4. Mark at Battlefield Running
5. Oz at Oz Runner
6. Evolving Through Running
I'm sure there's more of you out there but you guys are the ones I know. I see you out on other blogs too commenting and I think you're great! So congrats on your girlie award. Pass it on! : )
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Giveaway extended & Tunesday - Hey Ladies!
We had a great long weekend! It was so fun to have us all home together, just like old times from the summer. : ) I ended up doing 15 miles for long run on Saturday and it felt perfect. Not too long, just right. However, later in the day my right foot started feeling like it has a bruise where my toes bend. Anyone ever had this before? I'm worried it might be stress fractures. I haven't run since Saturday, I'm trying to rest it. This is not good timing...
So with the long weekend I didn't pick a winner for the Vitality Nutrtion Giveaway. I decided I'll give one more day to enter just in case anyone missed it! $40 towards any supplement/nutrition products they have! You could buy $40 worth of Clif Shot bloks if you want! The possibilities are endless...
This week I will be preparing to head out of town for the Red Rock Relay. Our team has had some challenges in this last weekend trying to replace runners, find vans, and gather supplies. It's hard to keep 12 people healthy, injury fee and event-free for 6 months. I'm pretty sure most relay teams have the same kinks that come up. As of today though we're good to go! Bountiful Babes are ready to take the course! So with most of my thoughts thinking about this relay I'm officially dubbing this week 'Girl Power Week' since our team is all female. And with that I dedicate Tunesday to the ladies - Nothing like a little Beyonce to make you female empowered! Go get em B. Holla at your girl...
So with the long weekend I didn't pick a winner for the Vitality Nutrtion Giveaway. I decided I'll give one more day to enter just in case anyone missed it! $40 towards any supplement/nutrition products they have! You could buy $40 worth of Clif Shot bloks if you want! The possibilities are endless...
This week I will be preparing to head out of town for the Red Rock Relay. Our team has had some challenges in this last weekend trying to replace runners, find vans, and gather supplies. It's hard to keep 12 people healthy, injury fee and event-free for 6 months. I'm pretty sure most relay teams have the same kinks that come up. As of today though we're good to go! Bountiful Babes are ready to take the course! So with most of my thoughts thinking about this relay I'm officially dubbing this week 'Girl Power Week' since our team is all female. And with that I dedicate Tunesday to the ladies - Nothing like a little Beyonce to make you female empowered! Go get em B. Holla at your girl...
Friday, September 3, 2010
It's the Supplement Issue
I'm finally getting to what I've been wanting to write about all week. Nutrition and supplements. I want to preface this post with the notation that you have to use what is best for your body and health. I'm just sharing some of things I'm trying and the things that seem to be working for me. My friends at Vitality offered me some suggestions of products that endurance athletes should add in to their daily nutrition. These are some great ideas for my Vitality Giveaway this week! Here we go...
Pure Endurance. This is in pill form and I use it before my long runs. The owner of Vitality actually formulated this himself. As per the description: Pure Endurance Intensified is a completely new approach to pre workout supplements. This unique formula is designed to produce 3 major benefits: Muscle Endurance, Physical Energy and Mental Focus. Intensified means you get everything you need plus a swift kick in the butt to wake you up and get you moving. Caffeine, Acacla, Yohimbine get you going and naringin keeps you going to hours.
And it works! The dosage calls for taking 5 to 6 pills 20 minutes before workout. I only take three and then I take another two to three at my half-way point. The thing I notice most is that my breathing is much easier all the way through til the end of my run and even on uphills. I know you are probably remembering my hard marathon in Park City but I really believe I would have been considerabley worse without those pills. On all other training runs I can feel the difference these pills make. Even the mental focus is noticable. I've given some out for my family and friends to try and all have come back with tons of positive feedback and want to use it again. Hopefully they'll comment on this post and give a thumbs up for Pure Endurance!
They also have a caffeine free version, which is the one I use. I get nervous and jittery all on my own so I feel like I don't need the extra caffeine to add to it. : ) They not only help your oxygen intake with your breathing, it also helps get oxygen to your muscles more efficiently so they endure through those long runs. Can't say enough about these.
I'm betting a lot of you know Udo's Oil. I add it into my protein shake every morning. I'm only up to two tablespoons a day, working up to three. There are lots of benefits to using the oil and you can check out the facts here if you're interested: Udo's Oil study Udo's Oil Facts. There are many who swear by it for helping them stay healthy and leaning them out with muscle tone. 2 names: Hilary Swank while training for Million Dollar Baby - remember how crazy buff she was? and Scott Jurek, the Badwater Ultramarathon runner swears by it, as well as others here. People also mix this into their eggs and salad dressings, you could mix into just about anything except you're not supposed to heat it. Even drizzle over veggies.
Trace Minerals are up next. I also add these into my protein shakes - about 40 drops a day is what is suggested. Here's one of the benefits according to the product's site:
ConcenTrace® captures the perfect balance of those minerals. Using ConcenTrace® every day (mix with juice, food or remineralize purified water) will help renew and energize your body's entire electrical system.† You'll have more energy and will generally feel better.
You can find more info on this product here and of course can google oodles of info on these products and their benefits.
The protein shakes that I use are from Isagenix. You may know them from their 9 day cleanse program. I've done the cleanse in the past and really love them. They make me feel great!
However, I use their Isalean proteing shake daily. They are great for quick meals as well as recovery drinks. It has a high standard of pure whey protein and they taste good too. I mix the powder with water, ice, a half of banana, the Udo's oil and trace minerals. All for about 250 calories and a killer morning kick start. This product you can't purchase from Vitality. You have to purchase through an Isagenix associate. If you don't know someone, let me know, I'll hook you up!
After a long run of 20 miles or more I use After Shock Recovery Drink. This one I mix up in my Blender Bottle with just water. It's easy to mix up quick and get down within a half hour of a marathon or long run. It makes the difference between whether I can walk and funtion the rest of the day as well as the rest of the week!
After I had that super hard race in Park City I downed an After Shock recovery drink and walked all over Park City for the rest of the day. No nap, no ice bath, no down time. We left the race and literally walked around Park City all afternoon, ate lunch, went back to the hotel, swam with the kids and didn't go to sleep til ten o'clock that night. And I was just as good the day after. No way could I have done all that without a good recovery drink. If you haven't tried one - do it. You'll thank me.
I can say that I definitely feel the difference in using these products. I have no deals with these product companies, I just want to share good supplements that have helped me. I mostly feel just an overall wellness from these things. My energy is up all day long, usually when I'm in heavy marathon training I need a nap at two o'clock everyday. Now, I never feel tired during the day and feel like I recover quicker from my workouts each day. And I've remained healthy so far. I'm going into my fourth marathon in four months and haven't had an immune system breakdown - no colds, no sore throats, no sick days. That's pretty awesome. It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up through the winter!
I know this is tons o' info for one post. But it's best to put it all together in one spot. I'll post it somewhere easily accessible on my blog so you can refer back to it in the future if need be. Hope it helps!
Pure Endurance. This is in pill form and I use it before my long runs. The owner of Vitality actually formulated this himself. As per the description: Pure Endurance Intensified is a completely new approach to pre workout supplements. This unique formula is designed to produce 3 major benefits: Muscle Endurance, Physical Energy and Mental Focus. Intensified means you get everything you need plus a swift kick in the butt to wake you up and get you moving. Caffeine, Acacla, Yohimbine get you going and naringin keeps you going to hours.
And it works! The dosage calls for taking 5 to 6 pills 20 minutes before workout. I only take three and then I take another two to three at my half-way point. The thing I notice most is that my breathing is much easier all the way through til the end of my run and even on uphills. I know you are probably remembering my hard marathon in Park City but I really believe I would have been considerabley worse without those pills. On all other training runs I can feel the difference these pills make. Even the mental focus is noticable. I've given some out for my family and friends to try and all have come back with tons of positive feedback and want to use it again. Hopefully they'll comment on this post and give a thumbs up for Pure Endurance!
They also have a caffeine free version, which is the one I use. I get nervous and jittery all on my own so I feel like I don't need the extra caffeine to add to it. : ) They not only help your oxygen intake with your breathing, it also helps get oxygen to your muscles more efficiently so they endure through those long runs. Can't say enough about these.
Trace Minerals are up next. I also add these into my protein shakes - about 40 drops a day is what is suggested. Here's one of the benefits according to the product's site:
ConcenTrace® captures the perfect balance of those minerals. Using ConcenTrace® every day (mix with juice, food or remineralize purified water) will help renew and energize your body's entire electrical system.† You'll have more energy and will generally feel better.
You can find more info on this product here and of course can google oodles of info on these products and their benefits.
The protein shakes that I use are from Isagenix. You may know them from their 9 day cleanse program. I've done the cleanse in the past and really love them. They make me feel great!
However, I use their Isalean proteing shake daily. They are great for quick meals as well as recovery drinks. It has a high standard of pure whey protein and they taste good too. I mix the powder with water, ice, a half of banana, the Udo's oil and trace minerals. All for about 250 calories and a killer morning kick start. This product you can't purchase from Vitality. You have to purchase through an Isagenix associate. If you don't know someone, let me know, I'll hook you up!
After I had that super hard race in Park City I downed an After Shock recovery drink and walked all over Park City for the rest of the day. No nap, no ice bath, no down time. We left the race and literally walked around Park City all afternoon, ate lunch, went back to the hotel, swam with the kids and didn't go to sleep til ten o'clock that night. And I was just as good the day after. No way could I have done all that without a good recovery drink. If you haven't tried one - do it. You'll thank me.
I can say that I definitely feel the difference in using these products. I have no deals with these product companies, I just want to share good supplements that have helped me. I mostly feel just an overall wellness from these things. My energy is up all day long, usually when I'm in heavy marathon training I need a nap at two o'clock everyday. Now, I never feel tired during the day and feel like I recover quicker from my workouts each day. And I've remained healthy so far. I'm going into my fourth marathon in four months and haven't had an immune system breakdown - no colds, no sore throats, no sick days. That's pretty awesome. It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up through the winter!
I know this is tons o' info for one post. But it's best to put it all together in one spot. I'll post it somewhere easily accessible on my blog so you can refer back to it in the future if need be. Hope it helps!
Anything you all want to add in to the must haves of training supplements?
Have a great weekend and get those entries in!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Where Has The Day Gone?
Well let me tell you... It's been one of those days where nothing has gone according to schedule. Got the kids off to school and came back home to load up the jogging stroller to head out for a run. As I went in my room to get my running shoes my otherwise lovely cat, Princess, met me with a little gift. You guessed it... another mouse. If you remember a couple weeks ago I let my man take care of business and catch the mouse. Today he was already off to work and my only back up was my almost 3 year old son holding the dust pan as a weapon ready to attack. My cat brought this one in fully alive and functional. It got away from her before she could do what her animal instincts wanted to do. So I closed all the doors, baracaded all the little openings that I could see and proceeded to chase it across around my room. My room is not big at all and it kept narrowly escaping me several times and finally went under the bed. I flipped my mattress and boxspring up and leaned them against the wall and found that stupid little rodent hiding in a drinking glass. I scooped him up with a board covering the opening, dumped him in a bag and took him out to the garbage can - thank goodnes it's garbage pick up today. And thank goodness for my kids sneaking drinks in my room and leaving their cups behind. This adventure only took an hour...
I wasn't giving up on my run. So we headed out and noticed that the wheels were flat on the stroller so we stopped at my friend Suz's house and pumped them up. Good to go. Arrived at my running destination, got my little guy in the stroller situated with snacks and a capri sun and we were off. A few strides in it came to my attention that my stroller wheels are in serious need of a tune up at the bike shop. The stroller pulled left the whole run. It drove me crazy. Between that and talking to my toddler and getting him re-situated over and over again my 6 mile run took me 72 minutes. Aaaahhh. And what do you do on an out and back? You have to finish it - there's no short cuts.
So we did it. We finished. Hit the store to pick up some groceries for dinner and get some treats for after school for the kids and now we're home. The rest of the kids will be home from school in an hour and the kitchen still has the cereal bowls out from breakfast and my bed is still leaning up against the wall in my room. Notice I'm blogging and not cleaning right now. : ) Priorities.... I had all good intentions to write an awesome post today including the supplements I'm using, the benefits and how it's actually helping me. I'll work on it... Look for it tomorrow!
So now I've got just got under an hour - gonna have to put it in turbo mode to get this place picked up... Wish me luck!
**Oh and remember to enter the Vitality giveaway! - Free money towards some supplements and nutrition - so awesome!
I wasn't giving up on my run. So we headed out and noticed that the wheels were flat on the stroller so we stopped at my friend Suz's house and pumped them up. Good to go. Arrived at my running destination, got my little guy in the stroller situated with snacks and a capri sun and we were off. A few strides in it came to my attention that my stroller wheels are in serious need of a tune up at the bike shop. The stroller pulled left the whole run. It drove me crazy. Between that and talking to my toddler and getting him re-situated over and over again my 6 mile run took me 72 minutes. Aaaahhh. And what do you do on an out and back? You have to finish it - there's no short cuts.
So we did it. We finished. Hit the store to pick up some groceries for dinner and get some treats for after school for the kids and now we're home. The rest of the kids will be home from school in an hour and the kitchen still has the cereal bowls out from breakfast and my bed is still leaning up against the wall in my room. Notice I'm blogging and not cleaning right now. : ) Priorities.... I had all good intentions to write an awesome post today including the supplements I'm using, the benefits and how it's actually helping me. I'll work on it... Look for it tomorrow!
So now I've got just got under an hour - gonna have to put it in turbo mode to get this place picked up... Wish me luck!
**Oh and remember to enter the Vitality giveaway! - Free money towards some supplements and nutrition - so awesome!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Training Questions and belated Tunesday!
Had a great run tonight! 5 miles in 40 minutes flat. My run kept getting pushed later and later throughout the day and when I could finally get away I wanted to make sure I got back before it was totally dark out. I'm such a scaredy cat, but if nothing else it helped me kick out a fast run. : )
Today I'm flipping the script. I'm looking for few thoughts, insights ideas from you, my hard core running friends... Hook me up with some of your tried and true tips!
1. I'm looking for a way to have my speed workouts crossover to my long runs. I can't quite pinpoint what can help me in my training to be able to keep my speed up during a marathon. Around 18 miles I slow down and by 22ish I slow down almost 2 or 3 minutes per mile slower. What do you think? Nutrition? Faster tempo runs? I currently don't do track workouts. Anyone swear by Yasso 800's? Really, help me out!
2. I shared with you my crazy awesome schedule for September. My main focus of all races is the Top of Utah marathon. It is a great course that should get me a new PR. So I'm trying to figure out my mileage leading up to it. Two Saturdays ago was the PC Marathon, last week was a recovery week which I did only 8 miles for my long run. My plan was to jump back in to heavy mileage and do 20 - 22 miles this Saturday. I'm now wondering if I should treat this week as a taper week and do only 14 to 16. Next Saturday I'm doing the relay in which I'll cover 20 miles over a 24 hour period - so basically a long run. And then the Saturday after the relay is the marathon. So my point is I don't have a true taper schedule, and I want to be able to race the best for the marathon. The only Saturday I really have control over is this Saturday. Should I change it from 22 miles to 14ish? Am I making any sense? : ) What do you think?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Ok, now please tell me you saw the Emmy's Sunday night. Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey sang our community's them song, Born To Run, in their opening skit. So funny, so great. Jimmy did a great job hosting. Well if you missed it, this should put a smile on your face! BRUUUUUUCE! Hope he was watching, they did him proud I'm sure!
Today I'm flipping the script. I'm looking for few thoughts, insights ideas from you, my hard core running friends... Hook me up with some of your tried and true tips!
1. I'm looking for a way to have my speed workouts crossover to my long runs. I can't quite pinpoint what can help me in my training to be able to keep my speed up during a marathon. Around 18 miles I slow down and by 22ish I slow down almost 2 or 3 minutes per mile slower. What do you think? Nutrition? Faster tempo runs? I currently don't do track workouts. Anyone swear by Yasso 800's? Really, help me out!
2. I shared with you my crazy awesome schedule for September. My main focus of all races is the Top of Utah marathon. It is a great course that should get me a new PR. So I'm trying to figure out my mileage leading up to it. Two Saturdays ago was the PC Marathon, last week was a recovery week which I did only 8 miles for my long run. My plan was to jump back in to heavy mileage and do 20 - 22 miles this Saturday. I'm now wondering if I should treat this week as a taper week and do only 14 to 16. Next Saturday I'm doing the relay in which I'll cover 20 miles over a 24 hour period - so basically a long run. And then the Saturday after the relay is the marathon. So my point is I don't have a true taper schedule, and I want to be able to race the best for the marathon. The only Saturday I really have control over is this Saturday. Should I change it from 22 miles to 14ish? Am I making any sense? : ) What do you think?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Ok, now please tell me you saw the Emmy's Sunday night. Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey sang our community's them song, Born To Run, in their opening skit. So funny, so great. Jimmy did a great job hosting. Well if you missed it, this should put a smile on your face! BRUUUUUUCE! Hope he was watching, they did him proud I'm sure!
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