Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Last week and weekend were a major bust in the training department. This weather is really cramping my style and its not looking like it will be of much help to me this week either. My focus will be on training indoors via BL Shred on Demand and whatever else I can find that will incorporate weights, cardio and more cardio. I hope to get at least 1 outdoor run in this week.

My second race will take place this Sunday. It's the Super Sunday 5K at Carson Beach in Southie. We'll have another 12-20 inches of snow on the ground but I'm hoping for a sun shiny day, doesn't even need to be warm, Lord just let the sun be out!



This race is an actual race though I'm just hoping to meet or beat my January race time of 34:06. A college friend of mine, Liz will be joining me on the run and there is a pretty sweet after party slated for this one! In lieu of T-shirt I had them donate what it would have cost for the shirt to the Livestrong cause since I wont be fundraising on their behalf (all they get is my registration fee, sorry!)

In other news with another donation from some friends I'm up to $170 raised thus far, slow start but I sent a major email push to my girlfriends on Friday and will be sending one out to about 50+ UMass and various other friends this evening so I'm hoping to see that funds raised total jump up soon, plenty of time but this time each year I'm used to having a lot more raised, different mind set hasn't sunk in yet.

Check back later in the week for the February 5K playlist in case you want to steal my beats :)

And check back again the beginning of next week for photos, my race time and anything else I feel like sharing at the time.

Sub Zero Victory

The 1st 5K notch has been ... notched haha. Friday posed some issues with the mass amounts of snow Tewksbury got during the morning hours. So instead of my plan to drive to Tewksbury I braved the Green Line and the North Station Commuter Rail to Wilmington.

Bright and early Saturday morning we woke up and piled on the layers. Grampa was smiling down because the sun was out in full force, THANK GOD! We signed up, got a few laughs from the rugged Lowell Road Runners who are out there every Saturday morning at 8am (bunch of crazies) and then we were off.

Here is my pre-race action shot ...

The first 5 minutes were brutal, eyes were dripping, noses were running, throats were burning and muscles were vice-like. But after the initial shock the body started to warm and it became a really nice, leisurely run through the byways of Tewksbury. Number 867 passing people and taking names ...

I crossed the finish line at 34:06 and most impressively for myself is that I ran almost the entire course! That may not sound like much but up until this run I was at a max of running 8 mins straight with a 3 min walk in between, I walked for exactly 1 min on this course and for the remainder I was running (maybe jogging is a more appropriate word haha). I felt pretty awesome about the outcome and time of the first 5K and I am looking forward to improving upon it!

Ash was kind of enough to take a really awful victory photo post race ....

Needless to say I am a little amped up about my first performance and I am looking forward to the Super Sunday 5k in 2 weeks. Follow along with my training updates over the next 2 weeks and then check in after Super Bowl Sunday to see more awful photos and see if I beat my January time!

As an update for fundraising, I have raised $150 dollars as of today and plan to get the word out more this coming month about what I am doing and why, so I hope to get closer to than $5,000 fund goal over the coming months!

Thanks for tuning in. -M

Musical Interlude

So last night I was able to get out for my first 30 min run outside. It didn't go as horribly as I originally assumed it would which left me feeling confident. Then I woke up to a small-ish blizzard which will surely leave mountains of snow on our course that will undoubtedly lead to slipping, runny noses and wheezing, thus leaving me less confident than last night haha.

Se la vie, I say! The Road Runners list on their website that they NEVER cancel so don't even call or email to ask so we'll be there with mittens, hats, running tights, fleeces and neck gaiters on!

Tomorrow's playlist has been set, in an effort to pump up the mood and warm the extremities. I plan to change it up for each run this year, just going down the alpha in my iTunes picking out the most bodacious hymns to get me through. Tomorrow's lineup for your listening pleasure:

Cold Shoulder - Adele

Teenage Anarchist - Against Me

Magic - B.O.B ft. Rivers Cuomo

Imma Bee - Black Eyed Peas

Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

Believe - The Bravery

Dangerous - Busta Rhymes

F*&# You - Cee Lo Green

Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash

Mountain Men - Crash Kings

El Scorcho - Dashboard Confessional

Feel free to gank my playlist and run along with me ... at the gym, or in your home on the treadmill or some other warmer spot than the streets of Tewks-Vegas which will most likely not be very welcoming tomorrow.

Wish me luck nonetheless. 5K #1 - about to commence ...

Check back next week for photos and a recap.

3 Scheduled, 9 to go and 12 to run AHHH

I am in count down mode to 5K number one. With snow on the ground, freezing rain on the horizon and temps dipping dangerously low I am mostly just hoping I'm able to breathe through this one. Ash and I will be running at 8am on Saturday in Tewksbury along Whipple and Chandler if you feel like a Saturday drive.

Training is slow going but getting a little better bit by bit each day. This week my focus is on maintaining so that I can keep up with the Road Runners ... who seem all to be double my age, so wont that be embarrassing when I'm wheezing down the finish line 10 minutes after all of them.

I figure I'll be looking something like this at that point ...

Thinking ahead, assuming survival on Jan 22nd, I have booked my February run. It will be Feb 5th in South Boston, down the beach, which will more closely resemble Antarctica at that point in time. This one benefits  the LIVESTRONG foundation and has a proper party after with my fave, Harpoon, in attendance.

It feels good to have January, February and March (the Southie St. Patty's 5K for the B&G Club) scheduled. Now I can spend the next few months focused on training before I need to start thinking about the rest of Spring and Summer. 

I'll be back over the weekend with a update and what are sure to be hilarious photos of the Fudgsicle 5K as I kick off the year's master plan.

Don't forget to visit the Community of Hope this month and donate to Grampa's Memorial Fund to benefit ALS. I need his support shining down on me Saturday and we need your donations to help meet the fund goal of $5,000 for the year!

Wish me luck!

Blizzard Blues ad Sleepy Shoes

Well this week has been a little tougher than usual with the NE Blizzard and all. Monday I was able to get in my run though the shoes are still causing the sleepy feet issue. Tuesday in order to beat the snow I went home after work and did Jillian's Michael's Shred and a Bollywood Dance vids on demand. Yesterday 2 hours of shovelling comprised my workout efforts ... cant exactly run in white out conditions. Tonight is break night because we have a date with Gianna's Bridal for Ash's wedding.

Friday the plan is a 30 min run after work and Saturday the plan is Group Power hour while I'm at work. I've got t-minus 1 week before the first 5K .... the Fudgsicle 5K in Tewksbury with the GLRRs so next week will be pivotal in the training department, so stay away snow so that I can get an outdoor run in!

2011 Fudgcicle 5K

Fudgetime: 8 A.M. SHARP!!! Saturday morning rain, snow or shine

don't call to see if it's canceled - it isn't never has been, never will be

Fudgedate: January  22

Fudgeplace: Tewksbury Memorial High School

Pleasant Street
Tewksbury, MA

Directions: yahoo map

Fudgecourse: Course Map

Fudgeinfo: Glenn Stewart

978-758-7732

president@glrr.net

Fudgefee: a donation of a buck is suggested

this is a no frills run - no on-line entry, no water stops - just pure runnin'

 



Snow on the Horizon

Week 1 is coming to a close. Tuesday was a rock solid cross training night with 45 mins of kick boxing and 45 mins of Zumba. Wednesday my running faired no better. I need to get to the bottom of the mystery of the falling asleep feet ... damn you Reebok RunTones, I have been excited about you and now you're making my feet disappear.

Thursday I took a break in an effort to battle this cold I've been sporting for 4 days, today the cold is no better but I'm saying screw it and am signed on for an hour of Group Power and an hour of Zumba. Tonight will be for relaxation.

The weekend is jam packed with the Small Xmas party tomorrow and work 13 hours on Sunday but there will be plenty of gym time built in in between. I'm hoping to get the 3 min warm up, 8min run, 3 min walk x2, 2 min cool down solid by then so that Monday can progress to phase 2 of training.

Have a good weekend ya'll, here's hoping you dont live in the NY area and aren't going to get pummelled by snow :)

Giddy-Up

So the fund is set up with a goal of $5,000 (gulp), the blog is setup so you can follow my painfully slow progress (haha), and the first 5K date is set (poor Ash has been roped into joining me).

Yesterday was day 1 back at the gym for a 30 minute run. I've reverted back to the 3 min walk warm-up, 2 sets of 8 mins running, 3 mins walking, 3 mins cool-down ... I made it to minute 2 of the second set of 8 before I thought my lungs would explode.

Needless to say mission run a full 5K and quit walking you sally jack-wagon (thank you drill seargant therapy commercial for the greatest non-swear insult ever) is off to a slow start and I have a ways to go to get ready for January 22nd's Fudgsicle 5K.

Tonight is weight training/kickboxing ... bring it!