My Secret Weapon

on March 20, 2014
in All Posts

Howdy!

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So, like most of the East Coast, we were slammed for four days of crappy weather.  I didn’t want to do anything inside, and slowly but surely, Henry went stir-crazy.  Gym childcare and walks around the mall was not cutting it.   I was so excited that it started to warm up yesterday!

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Now, it if it could just stay warm – right?! 

 

On a run this morning, I realized that the jogging stroller is definitely my running secret weapon. 

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I’ve been trying to figure out what I did right when training for the Corporate Cup Half Marathon, which I PRed at (wahoooo!).  It certainly wasn’t total mileage, because I probably trained less for that race than I have for any other!  (Although – maybe that’s it?  I didn’t overtrain?)  A lot of it was that I ran with Kristien, who pulled me forward, but I think training with the jogging stroller made a huge difference, too.  You can’t beat pushing 50 pounds up hills.   Maybe this is why my neighbor with the triplets wins half marathons on the regular?!  Can’t imagine what shoving 110 pounds up hills does to a woman.  Hah.

 

Aaaaaand have I mentioned that I’m truly obsessed with arugula?  Because I am.  I don’t think I’ve eaten so many salads as I have in the last month.

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Did you know that 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds has 7 grams of protein?  Yum.

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What else?  Oh, thanks for all the kitty name suggestions!  We ultimately went with Alex Ferguson (we call him Ferguson; Henry calls him Berguson). 

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Kristien, Henry, and I were all really struggling with allergies triggered by Ferguson, but we’re all feeling SO MUCH BETTER thanks to some awesome cat allergy suggestions on the HTP Facebook page.  <3  He’s really settling in now; he’s the sweetest boy.

 

And here are the winners of the Aldi gift card giveaway…

 

Abi

Kimberly

Claire

 

I’ve emailed the winners already. <3

 

What’s your running ‘rule’ or secret training weapon?  Here are my four ‘rules’ of running; basically, I believe in having fun, cross training, not running too many back-to-back days, and never being embarrassed to walk. 

{ 25 comments }

 

  • Rebecca March 20, 2014, 1:24 pm

    So glad you are all feeling better. Ferguson is a great name!

  • Abi@AbsofSteel March 20, 2014, 1:42 pm

    I guess I’m going to have to find someone’s toddler to borrow so I can pr my next race 🙂

    Thanks so much for the gift card!!!

  • Katie March 20, 2014, 1:44 pm

    Posts like this are why you are one of my favorite bloggers 🙂

  • Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork March 20, 2014, 1:56 pm

    Thank goodness it’s the first day of spring. Not that that means much in Massachusetts–we’re still up for cold weather and possible snow. But we’re headed in the right direction! Trees won’t be blooming here for another month!

    My running rules: Don’t run back to back days (though I did that last week for the first time and was okay!) and if it hurts, pay attention. Don’t necessarily stop, but don’t completely ignore it, either.

  • Breanne March 20, 2014, 2:03 pm

    Glad to hear your allergies are getting better! As someone with cat allergies (we had to give our cat away when I was a little girl), I was rooting for you and for Ferguson to get to stay!

  • Shannon March 20, 2014, 2:12 pm

    Glad your allergies are feeling better! I recently discovered the whole idea of listening to podcasts during longer runs and it really helps the time fly by. That and making sure to run new routes or with a friend once in a while to change things up.

  • Emily @ The Swallow Flies March 20, 2014, 2:21 pm

    I agree with you on the “not being afraid to walk” piece of advice. In fact, I think I run better when I do a modified Galloway-style run: for instance, “I’m going to run to the fire hydrant. Now I’m going to walk to the street. I’m going to run to the fifth light pole. And so on…”

  • Nancy March 20, 2014, 2:31 pm

    WHAT? That’s a lot of protien in a quarter cup of those lil’ seeds. They’re tasty too.

    Happy first day of spring to you and your fam! Can’t believe I’m wearing flip flops today 🙂 🙂

  • Laura @ RunningJunkie March 20, 2014, 2:40 pm

    Great job on your half marathon! I can’t imagine pushing a stroller as I run! I don’t even like holding a bottle of water! Sheesh!

  • Sara @ LovingOnTheRun March 20, 2014, 2:58 pm

    My secret weapon is strength training. You can’t forget this just because you are running a lot. That is what I struggle with because I always “can’t find the time.” Working to find more time and make it a part of my training because it helps me SO much!

  • Kerri March 20, 2014, 4:14 pm

    Sunflower seeds are so good. We generally can’t keep them around the house. Your salad looks great! Glad you are getting the reprieve from the nasty weather!

  • Jelena@ThoseLittleThings March 20, 2014, 4:22 pm

    I think that Fitnessista’s stretching sessions help me recover faster. That way I do not feel horrible the day after the long run, it does not turn me into lazy tired coworker, friend and girlfriend, so I do not postpone the next one (at least not too much)

  • Emily March 20, 2014, 6:25 pm

    Okay, you’ve convinced me to use the jogging stroller for, you know, jogging. We use it as a regular stroller all the time, but I’ve always been too wimpy to take Squish out for a run with me.

  • Elizabeth {Positively Healthy} March 20, 2014, 6:34 pm

    I think my secret weapon is doing my speed runs on the treadmill. It allows me to push it and keep pushing. When I am on a track I some times slow down that last .05, whereas the treadmill keeps me going!
    Loving the cat name!

  • Amanda March 20, 2014, 7:38 pm

    The jogging stroller is definitely your secret weapon!!! When my kids were small enough for me to use the jogging stroller I could never get beyond walking…..it was just too tough for me to run at that time ;(

    And I’m so happy for your family adopting Ferguson! I was so sad for you about Pippa.

  • Becky P March 20, 2014, 8:48 pm

    Ferguson is the name of the cat on New Girl!
    http://emniphotography.wordpress.com/tag/new-girl-episode-2-season-3-nick-miller-jess-winston-ferguson-the-cat-nerd/

  • Traci March 20, 2014, 10:06 pm

    Mmm, that salad looks perfect!

  • Runner Girl Eats March 21, 2014, 6:40 am

    My secret is to remember that I am doing it for fun and that my body is capable of so much more than I give it credit for. I also focus on the post workout recovery during particularly tough days to get me through 😉

  • Stephanie March 21, 2014, 9:07 am

    You are absolutely right about stroller running. I also remember being faster when I was strength training. My son is 6, so no more stroller running.
    Check out the difference in my 10k times due to stroller training: 50:49 and 52:56. The difference is actually greater because the first time isn’t my chip time. Good luck on staying strong with the stroller!

  • Rebecca March 21, 2014, 10:34 am

    Ferguson is a good name! So glad he’s settling in just fine with you guys, and that some of the allergy junk is under control. That’s great.
    I thought maybe I was allergic to cats once when I visited a cousin who has two (more sneezing after I got into their house), but the next time I visited I didn’t sneeze at all so I don’t know.

    Our snow has been melting but it does sound like we’re getting a little more before March is over. Sigh. At least it’s starting to go away!! It was low 40s on my way to an event last night and I didn’t wear a coat. It was upper 30s when the event was done and it actually felt really good after being in a warm building!

  • Jenny O March 21, 2014, 11:02 am

    I am so jealous of your spring weather! I live in Ontario and we are still buried in snow 🙁
    I feel like we may never see spring!

    On a different note – Ferguson is super cute!

  • Joanne March 21, 2014, 11:18 am

    I think back to back runs are one of the keys to building endurance. Then a couple of days doing speed work. The first will train the brain to keep going when you’re tired but be aware of running form because when we get tired and lose our good form, we get injured. The second, speed work, teaches faster pacing and tolerance for lactic acid build up. But most of all, I agree with you, if it isn’t fun, we won’t do it so that is number one priority.

  • Bre & Ree March 21, 2014, 6:02 pm

    I love arugula, it’s the best leafy green out there IMHO. I never had the chance to jog with my little one, the roads are far too dangerous for that here, but I imagine the extra pounds does wonders for your workout! Thanks for the tip should there be any more little ones down the road!
    ~Bre

  • Morgan March 22, 2014, 5:13 am

    Foam roll! After all runs and cycle sessions the foam roller is my bff!
    I think my hub likes it too bc I never ask for a massage now that I’ve got my roller 🙂

  • Macy Mae Rivers March 28, 2014, 2:32 pm

    Hi there Caitlyn! I just want to share my running rules:
    > Now that husband allowed me to go outdoors for a run, there’s no excuse for me to be stucked inside the house doing my usual boring routine in the treadmill; This is also an opportunity for me to meet new people and engage to few neighbors.
    > Whenever Ipod tells me that I already hit 1.5 kilometer, I must sprint for 30 seconds.
    > Since I invested on running clothes lately, there’s no reason for me not to showcase it in public. Haha lol.

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