Workout Recap – July 23rd – July 29th

Last week, while I was traveling for work, I received a number of questions about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and workout habits while traveling. With those questions in mind, I thought it would be helpful to share a peek into last week’s workouts. I am currently training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon on October 20th. Even though I still have eleven weeks of training before I cross the starting line, I’m very focused on my goal.  My goal on October 20th is to cross the starting line strong, mentally and physically, so that I can push myself to a sub 2 hour half marathon!  In addition, I’ve continued to make some “small” but impactful changes to my everyday routine as I continue to focus on feeling my best during an especially busy time period.

I’ve continued to increase my DAILY STEPS by making it a focus each day. Some days this means taking the “long route” to drop Katie off at nanny share or meander a bit on our way home while other days, I’ll take a conference call outside, especially if it’s primarily listening versus active engagement.  My average steps continue to be around 9,500 which is a huge win versus where I was though I’d still like to hit 10k each day. When I was traveling last week, I logged more than four miles of airport walking each travel day due to long delays.

My philosophy for maintaining healthy habits during business travel is to treat it like a regular week. That means that as much as possible, I wake up at 5:30 to workout just like I would in Brooklyn and I eat moderately. Sure, at our work happy hour I had a cocktail and I couldn’t pass up the delicious margarita at the Mexican restaurant, but I don’t treat work travel like a vacation, indulging in every local delicacy. I eat a healthy breakfast and lunch to ensure I have the energy to make it through long days and then at night, I enjoy dinner and drinks with co-workers. Staying as healthy as realistically possible while I’m traveling also allows me to return home with energy versus being exhausted for Bo and Katie.

So, with that said, let’s dive into last week’s training, twelve weeks out from my half marathon.

Monday: Even though I didn’t go to sleep until 1:30 AM Monday after horrible flight delays, I made it to the gym before my meetings started. This was a perfect example of a day when I knew that a run would provide me with more energy throughout the day than multiple cups of coffee. I ran 3 miles in 27:50. 

Tuesday: I spent 45 minutes in the hotel gym doing a runner’s strength workout that I found on Pinterest and then hopped on the treadmill to sprint a mile at an 8:34 pace.

Wednesday: Luckily, I have the opportunity to work with some like-minded people so Wednesday morning I had the treat of running and working out with co-workers. Our run towards a local lake included gorgeous, sunrise views and cool temperatures. As an added bonus, my colleague, Jim, provided me with some running form coaching during our run which reminded me how important running the tangents and keeping form in mind is during a run. I tend not to “pull my leg” through the run, stopping my stride short. He gave me a few tips that I’ve been able to easily leverage during runs since then. When we finished our 4 mile run we did 10 minutes of core work, including spider push-ups, planks, and v-ups.

Thursday: My anxiety around more than 9 hours of travel delays didn’t make Thursday a very enjoyable rest day. I ended up logging almost four miles of walking throughout the day as I listened to podcasts, conference calls and music while passing the time in Arkansas and Atlanta airports.

Friday: Similar to the way I started the week, I ended the work week with a 6 AM tower Pilates class even though I was exhausted from the previous day’s travel and late night. Molly’s tower class always challenges me, especially the ab series, so it felt great to be back after two weeks away from Pilates due to vacation and work travel.

Saturday: I knew that some yoga would be a beneficial way to work out some stress that my body was holding as well as loosen things up before Sunday’s long run. The 65 minute Yoga Vida class I took was a bit harder than I expected but I really liked the teacher and continue to be impressed with the Dumbo studio.

Sunday: I knew that I wanted to conquer some hills and distance during Sunday’s long run. Luckily my friend Melissa was game for the challenge and recommended that we include Brooklyn Bridge in our route as it provides over a mile of hill training and beautiful views. I covered 7.5 miles and maintained a 9:38 pace which was exactly the confidence boost I needed especially since it was a hot day and we were talking throughout the entire run.  I think this week we are going to head to Prospect Park for more hill training and a change of scenery.

I’m proud of last week’s workouts and the only change I would make in hindsight is to make my weekday runs a bit longer. Ideally, my 3 mile run would have been a four mile run and my four mile run would have been five miles. As I continue my training, I know that my week day mileage is just as important as my long run, so want to continue to increase the mileage in line with Theodora’s coaching plans.

Your turn – Are you running any upcoming races? How is your training going? 

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The Best Running Shorts

Summer is here and suddenly that means that even the earliest of runs leave me red in the face and drenched in sweat. It also means grabbing shorts when I open my drawer instead of my favorite capris and leggings that have kept me warm all Winter and Spring. The first run in shorts can either be wonderful or horrible.

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Wonderful – Running in shorts feels so free compared to the constriction and coverage that leggings and crops provide. It almost feels as if I’m flying, even if I’m running a relaxed pace. 

Horrible – If you’re blessed with strong, muscular thighs then you quickly realize that you forgot to apply Glide in between your thighs and you come home chafed and bloody. That post-run shower is not refreshing but instead feels like daggers as it pierces your thighs and the chafed, exposed skin. 

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Since you guys had so many comments on my Instagram post, I thought I would share my three favorite loose fit running shorts as well as the links to your recommendations!

Your turn: How about you? What is your favorite short?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored however there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. 

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Running a Sub 2:00 Half Marathon

diamond family run

It has been a while since I’ve had a fitness goal that excited me. During my pregnancy, my goal was to stay active and healthy. Following Katie’s birth, my goal was once again to stay active which helped me stay physically and mentally healthy. While I was able to achieve both of these and benefited greatly, now that I’m 11 months postpartum, I’m excited to focus on a goal that helps me return to my fitness roots – running.  While I’ve run more than 25 half marathons, 5 marathons and over 50 shorter races since beginning my running journey in 2006, I’ve never been able to break 2 hours in the half marathon.

I’m hoping to run a sub 2:00 half marathon at the NYCRuns Brooklyn Half marathon on October 20th!

Over the past few years, I’ve striven to improve my half marathon times. While I had a few highlights of running 2:01 half marathons along the way, I’ve had more than a few disappointments.  As I look back and read multiple race recaps, a few things stand out: over-training, lack of training, lack of strength training, or lack of recovery time.   I laugh as I read through prior posts and see that I was running 4-5 times a week in addition to taking boutique fitness classes on Classpass or when we lived abroad, traveling every single weekend. I wasn’t allowing my body anytime to recover. Then, when I read other recaps I realize that I went into a race with a stretching goal on very little training.

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ashley 9k

This time around, I am doing a few things differently:

  • I’m balancing motherhood and a career which means my training needs to be efficient and effective.
  • I have given birth and gone through a level of pain that made me stronger mentally and physically.
  • I am starting my training early so I can build a strong base.
  • I am reading to gain knowledge and insights so that I can train smarter. In fact, what is your favorite book or resources? 
  • I am working with my friend Theodora, who is a run coach. As I train for my sub-2 this summer and fall,  she’s putting together a training for me. FYI, she is making plans for both remote runners and those local to NYC. Email her at Theodora@preppyrunner.com for more details.
  • I realize the importance of strength training, core training, and recovery in addition to running.
  • I am going to record EVERYTHING using Strava and my GPS watch.

So there you have it! I’ve shared my goal with you guys as well as with Bo and I am so excited for the training along the way. It has been a dream of mine to set an example for Katie and I can’t wait to run towards her and Bo at the finish line in October!

 

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