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for the love of barre

October 26, 2012 by Kristy 16 Comments

UPDATE: Due to Hurricane Sandy, the Grand Opening class for Barre Focus Fitness University City has been moved to Thursday, November 1 at 6:00PM.

Before January of this year, I hardly ever strength trained. I just wanted to run and not be bothered with anything else. But as I started to build my mileage up and run more marathons, I knew strength training was important but still couldn’t bring myself to consistently do it.

The more miles we run, the more we need to strengthen our bodies to support the added mileage. You can only avoid strength training for so long. Sooner or later, those twinges can turn into injuries.

Fearful that my many years of back-to-back training cycles and added mileage would sideline me, strength training was a must. My #1 criteria? It MUST accompany marathon training and not take anything away from it. I didn’t want my marathon training to suffer because of strength training. Running will always come first.

This immediately took CrossFit off the list. I’m highly skeptical that anyone can consistently do CrossFit and effectively train for a marathon. CrossFit is too intense and marathon training is too intense. You’re asking for burnout and injury.

I tried barre because it seemed to be a perfect fit. Highly effective yet low impact. No squatting, lunging, or weights (except for 2-3 lb hand weights). I was sore enough the next day to know it was effective but not too sore to get a training run in.

I equate barre to a ridiculously hard yoga class. It doesn’t send your heart rate through the roof but your muscles are definitely working. There are many times in class I need to rest for a few seconds so my legs can stop shaking.

I was lucky enough to find a great studio – Barre Focus Fitness – with amazing instructors. I only plug the things I’m truly passionate about on my blog and Barre Focus Fitness is one of them.

While I frequent their Haverford location, I’m excited that Barre Focus Fitness is branching out into Philly! If you live in the Philly area and want to try barre or are looking for something new join them for a free grand opening class on Halloween!

Do you strength train? Like barre? How about CrossFit (am I opening a can of worms with this one…I’m personally sick of hearing about it)?!

Beautiful Weekend

October 21, 2012 by Kristy 17 Comments

The weather in Philly was gorgeous this weekend.

Perfect running weather. Although I didn’t run a single step.

We went out both Friday and Saturday night and I had brunch with friends on Sunday morning. Late nights, drinks, and long runs do not mix well at my age. A constant reminder why a social life is best saved for the off season.

I say this often but it is worth repeating. When your body is screaming for rest, it’s best to listen. When I wake up and have no desire to run, I know it’s time to stay in bed and sleep. And so I did. Saturday and Sunday. Until 10:00AM. I think the last time I slept that late was college.

Not running long does have its perks. It’s nice to lounge in bed, wake up slowly, have breakfast, watch TV, and not be tired by 12PM. Your legs aren’t sore, they don’t crack and pop going down the stairs, you’re not wearing compression sleeves, not peeing every 1/2 hour, and don’t eat everything in sight.

It’s nice for a weekend. Only a weekend.

We spent most of Saturday outside at the dog park. Hawk enjoyed himself.

What’s the biggest perk to NOT running long on the weekend (on the rare occasion you don’t do a long run)? I would have to say it’s the sleeping in without an alarm and having a leisurely morning.

18 miles of thoughts

October 14, 2012 by Kristy 14 Comments

What I love about long runs is the uninterrupted time to think and sort through “stuff”. I took Friday off from work (the key to the best day ever) and started off my day with a 18-miler. I got to “sleep” in, not run in the dark, and had the trail all to myself. Perfection.

I thought a lot about my running “progress” over the past year. I can pretty much divide the past year into pre-50K and post-50K training.

I was extremely discouraged while training for Boston. Dropping my MP from 8:30 to 8:20 seemed impossible and so did that sub-3:40. Turns out, it didn’t matter much come race day.

so happy. so hot.

Then I spent the summer running lots of long, slow miles. I ran myself silly and loved every mile of it. A month after my 50K, I shaved 2 minutes off my half marathon PR. It was a mix of ultra training “magic” and having absolutely no expectations.

It occurred to me on Friday that my lack of (speedy) progress while training for Boston was because my endurance plateaued. It didn’t matter how many mile repeats I did or how many MP long runs I ran. Your speed is limited by your aerobic capacity.

Training for a 50K unlocked speed I never thought I had. I will run a 3:30 marathon some day. I just need to keep running ultras too Winking smile

It’s difficult to analyze your training and progress when you are nose deep in it. It’s hard to be objective when you are consumed with training. That’s why running coaches are so great (shameless plug)!

Do you sort through thoughts during long runs?

Ever had an epiphany about your training that would otherwise be obvious if you weren’t so consumed with your own running? Did that question make any sense?!

in it to win it (5K recap)

October 7, 2012 by Kristy 13 Comments

On Saturday I ran the Strides for Scholarship 5K for the second time. Last year I ran it for fun with my then 10-year-old niece. I loathe 5Ks but last year I ate the most amazing vanilla-frosted donut after the race. So the good outweighed the bad.

I also wanted to win the race – be 1st overall female. It’s rare that you find a small 5K – not in Bumblefuck, PA – where that opportunity presents itself. For some reason this race is relatively unknown despite a large running club just down the road.

I was nervous. I say all the time that I’d rather run 20 miles than race a 5K. 20-milers are within my comfort zone; 5Ks are not. But sometimes you need to push outside your comfort zone.

I warmed up for a mile and did some strides. I could feel the nervousness in my legs. They splurged on chip timing this year but I still made my way towards the front and took off.

M1 (7:00) – In hindsight this was probably a little too fast. I should have kept the pace around 7:10-7:15. I was in the lead though!

M2 (7:36) – Horrendous. Just past the mile 2 marker, a girl zipped right past me. Damn. I tried to stay with her and put some pressure on but my legs didn’t have enough kick. She ended up finishing 19-seconds ahead of me.

M3 (7:21) – I redeemed myself (somewhat).

22:30 (7:15 avg pace)
Overall: 7/85
Female: 2/41
AG: 2/9

My sister, sister-in-law, and 2 nieces ran the race too. We pretty much cleaned up when it came to the awards!

Sister: 2nd in AG
SIL: Almost 5-min PR from last year!
Nieces: 2nd and 1st in AG
*All coached by me!

Everyone had a great race and my vanilla-frosted donut did not disappoint!

Congrats to everyone who ran Chicago, Steamtown, Portland, or any other race I’m forgetting. Fall racing season is officially here!

Did you race this weekend?

Fartlek Fun

September 30, 2012 by Kristy 14 Comments

My Saturday began with 15 miles in cool, crisp Fall weather. I came home, ate, showered, and headed out to Malvern to cash in a Groupon for a 75-minute therapeutic massage.

The massage was heavenly. I don’t like half-assed massages. If I’m getting one, I want my muscles to be kneaded and worked on. A hurts-so-good massage.

What I didn’t expect was a lecture after the massage. I was told my neck and shoulders were a “hot mess”. This isn’t news – every time I get a massage I hear about my tight and knotted neck and shoulders.

I was then told that I shouldn’t run as much as I do, although I never told her how much I run. She told me it was unhealthy to carry around so much stress. I told her I wasn’t stressed by anything in particular. She kept doing this…

Do I walk around like this? Run like this? (via)

Maybe she has a point (but not about running too much!). I politely listened, smiled, and thanked her. Now I’m hyper-aware of my apparent shoulder shrug syndrome.

On Sunday I did a fun little fartlek run I saw here. I’m tired of my same old tempo and progression runs. This was a perfect way to prep for my 5K next weekend.

Although I misread the workout – it was supposed to be 2 minutes “on”, not 1 minute – it was challenging without being too taxing.

2 mile warm up
5 continuous miles of 1 minute “on” followed by 1 minute “off”. My “on” was a well controlled sprint, focusing on my form (shoulders down!).
2 mile cool down

Your heart rate during the “off” portion never returns to “easy run” heart rate which makes this workout so great. Very similar to decreasing your rest intervals on the track. Try it! Side note: for marathon training I would increase the “on” portion to a few minutes at HM or 10K pace.

Ever do fartleks?

Like getting massages (is there anyone that doesn’t?!)? Do you have shoulder shrug syndrome like me?

hit-or-miss

September 23, 2012 by Kristy 10 Comments

A few thoughts on this beautiful Sunday…

Running: hit-or-miss
That accurately describes these past 4 weeks. I’m hot…then cold. Up…then down. I’m not too stressed after last weekend’s PR and the fact that this is supposed to be my downtime. But, I do have 2 races coming up and I want to capitalize on my current speed so it’s back to work tomorrow.

iOS 6 upgrade
Has anyone downloaded the new upgrade? My favorite features are the do not disturb notification and panoramic camera. No more texts waking up this grandma at 9:30PM!

panoramic view of my living room and dining room

Boston 2013 – the way it should be
Even though I’m not running Boston in 2013 doesn’t mean I cannot be *mildly* Boston obsessed. The B.A.A. announced last Friday that registration will re-open tomorrow (!) and will continue until the maximum field size is reached. So everyone that registered over the past 2 weeks will be accepted (and then some)! This is fantastic and the way IT SHOULD BE. What a difference from last year. Congrats to all the runners that were accepted!

Favorite iOS 6 upgrade feature?

Running Boston in 2013?