Tag: buckeye woods

Weekly Workouts Recap

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The past two weeks of workouts haven’t been as scheduled as I had hoped, but I was still able to get out there and work on my base. I’m trying to be conservative when it comes to my running because the last thing I want is another injury. But with each run, I’m becoming more confident and know I’ll get back to where I was pre stress fractures.

Week of 4/25

Monday: 0

Tuesday: 0

Wednesday: 4 Miles

Thursday: 0

Friday: 0

Saturday: 3 Miles + Abs, Arms & Hips

Sunday: 0

Total: 7 Miles

I met up with Mallory on Wednesday at Mugrage Park to run a few loops. We did a few loops of the paved path, one loop of the trail and went out into the development nearby. We kept an easy pace, especially after the trail loop, which was partially covered in mud. It was my first run after the race last week, and I felt really good.

Saturday I kept my run short. I would have preferred my second run of the week to be during the week, but I ended up with something going on every night after work. I stuck to the treadmill and tried to work on my form a bit. Another easy run with no pain.

A relatively easy week, but another week of no pain and more mileages to add to my belt. I ended up closing out April with a total of 24.85 miles. It’s not a whole lot, but after a few months of no running, I’m happy with any amount of miles I’m able to run!

 

Week of 5/2

Monday: 0

Tuesday: 4 Miles + Arms

Wednesday: 0

Thursday: 0

Friday: 0

Saturday: 3.1 Miles

Sunday: 5 Miles

Total: 12.1 Miles

 

Tuesday I met up with Mallory and we ran on the indoor track. We kept it at an easy pace and lifted once we were complete. I felt a little off the next day, but that usually happens any time I end up running on the indoor track, too much of one direction and turn isn’t the best.

Saturday was my first solo run outside. I didn’t want to focus on pace, I let my legs lead the way and I would check on pace just once in awhile. I felt like I was working, but not too much that I wouldn’t be able to continue past the first mile. I stayed close to home and ran the surrounding developments. I ended up with a 9:37 average pace, and ended up negative splitting the entire run. It’s humbling to see what used to be my easy recovery pace, is now my current pace. Even though this is still about a minute slower than where I was, it’s nice to see that I’m getting faster than when I started recovery.

Fastest run since January! Progress!!

Fastest run since January! Progress!!

Sunday I met up with Mallory again and we ran with her dog Walter through Buckeye Woods. We kept it at an easy pace and ran through the marsh, the woods and a little of the paved path. There were a few times in the woods that the run felt like hard work, but there were also a few hills in there as well.

Perfect day at Buckeye Woods.

Perfect day at Buckeye Woods.

These past two weeks I’ve been able to continue working on my base and hopefully each week I’ll be able to add a few more miles. I’ve still got a long way to go, but as long as I keep working and I don’t push myself too much, then I should get to where I used to be by mid summer.

Wineglass Marathon Training: Week Six

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This week was a little challenging, but it started off with some great news! Monday I had the opportunity to join Oiselle as one of their Flock members. Oiselle has been a company I admired for over the past year or so. Not only do they provide running clothing for women, but their team is comprised of runners from all over. The passion they have and share is absolutely amazing, and I’m so honored to be part of this team!

Capture

Anyway, back to training, I didn’t get all of my workouts in, but when I did, they were spot on. I started the week with Body Fusion. We had a bunch of new people in class so it was relatively easy and lighter than normal. Next week it’s time to step up the weights again!

Tuesday I was at the track. After last week’s failed attempt at mile repeats, I was a little nervous. I started out a little too quick, but I managed my first sub 7:30 mile in quite some time. I can tell my speed is getting quicker, I just have to work on keeping my times closer together.

Wednesday I went out to my favorite hill to work on some repeats. Each repeat is a half mile long, so I started with a warm up, attacked the hill six times, and followed it up with a mile cool down. The first three repeats I felt strong, at number four I could feel myself fading a bit. I had to dig deep for number five, but finished strong for my last one. This hill is one of my favorites because it winds up and around a development, the top is so far from the beginning, you can’t help but push yourself the entire time.

Hill repeats for dinner

Hill repeats for dinner

Thursday I had evening plans, but had full intention of running Friday before going out of town for the weekend. But then I was plagued with a horrible headache until Saturday afternoon that kept me from running.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: 4.5 Miles, 1 Mile W/U, 3×1600(7:27, 7:36, 7:45), .5 Mile C/D

Wednesday: 5 Miles, 1 Mile W/U, 6x .5 Mile Hill Repeats, 1 Mile C/D

Thursday: Off

Friday: Off

Saturday: Off

Sunday: 15 Miles

Total Miles: 24.5 Miles

Sunday was my scheduled long run for the weekend, and I was able to meet up with some MCRR members for a nice long run. I was a little unsure about the run because I only had four hours of sleep, and about a pound of deeply buttered  popcorn in my stomach. (Note to self, stay away from popcorn the night before a long run!)

When I started I felt ok, and we had a big group of about 12. Within the first mile we started to break apart, and the core group of 7 stayed together for the first twelve miles. We began our run at Buckeye Woods and headed down the inlet towards the back roads to Chippewa Lake. The views were absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately I left my phone in the car, so I couldn’t take any pictures.

We managed to make our way on the back roads and around the lake, it was relatively flat with a few rollings hills. We kept an easy pace and my legs felt great, but my stomach was not so happy. Between miles 6-9 I had some major cramping, and running was the last thing I wanted to do. I managed to make it through and we finished up back in the parking lot with 11 miles.

At this point, I refilled my water with ice and Nuun, and we stretched for a few moments before the last four of us went out for our remaining miles. We went back on the inlet for two miles and made our way back, finishing with a solid 15 miles for the day.

Sunday's group

Sunday’s group

This long run was rough. We started with an easy pace, but by mile 12/13, I was getting pretty worn down. We lucked out on weather, even though it was quite humid. We dodged the heat and storms with the occasional sprinkle which helped to cool us down.

My only two issues with this run was my stomach and how sore I felt after I finished. When I do my long runs on Sunday I need to focus more on what I eat all weekend and try to drink more water the day before.

Even though I didn’t get as many workouts in this week, every single workout was where it needed to be. I’ll be pumping up my mileage again this week and I have a trail race on Saturday. I’m only weeks away from my first 20 miler of the cycle, so hopefully my long runs will become a little easier each time. I’m now a third of the way done with training, and so far I feel like I’m on the right track.

Do you prefer track or hill workouts more? What do you do when a long run doesn’t go like you planned?

Local Treasures

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Over the past couple days, I was fortunate enough to have some time to explore Medina and see some real gems around town. Melissa suggested a while back that I share more of my everyday life, because sometimes I do more than just run and drink wine.

Between Saturday and Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to visit some new places and some old favorites in Medina. Saturday night we headed to Cipriani’s, the new restaurant in town as part of my birthday celebration. As requested, I wanted someplace Italian, and when we saw that Cipriani’s had opened up, we couldn’t wait to try it.

We made a reservation, but luckily missed the crowd and were able to be seated right away. The restaurant had a cozy feel, with a mix of tables for dining and a bar for just hanging out. We started with shrimp cocktail, bread and salad, accompanied with some pretty good wine. The server was very friendly, and never rushed us through anything. I ordered the Angel Hair with Marinara and Darren got the Chicken Alfredo. Both were delicious and we had enough to take home for a meal the next day. We finished up dinner with some amazing Tiramisu, my absolute favorite.

The meal, the atmosphere and the whole experience were a lot better than we had expected. Pricing wasn’t too expensive either, which means Cipriani’s could definitely become a regular place for us. I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

Tuesday I continued my birthday celebrations by taking the day off work and treating myself to a massage and manicure. I tried out Bella Sorrellas and was very impressed. I opted for the full hour massage, and at a price of $45, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was hands down the best massage I’ve ever had. I followed it up with a shellac manicure, and at a price of $20, you really can’t complain. I’m certainly looking forward to treating myself more often with this place so close to home.

Massage room, ready to relax!

Massage room, ready to relax!

I finished up Tuesday with some of my favorite spots, Cool Beans Cafe and Buckeye Woods. Not only does Cool Beans have some pretty good coffee, but their lunch menu is getting better and better. I already know we’ll be biking down there quite a bit this summer.

Some new and some old, the smaller places in Medina have their charm. I’m excited to see what else we discover that will hopefully become our favorite places! If you want to keep up with our new discoveries, you can check out a new page that includes events and places around Medina.

 

Friday Faves and a Giveaway!

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April happens to be my favorite month, mostly because it’s my birthday month, so I wanted to do something a little different this time. This month, I wanted to share a list of my favorite things, and as a little bonus, a giveaway!

Favorite Shoes: Asics GT 2000 – These shoes, they are heavenly. I first tried them on at the Columbus Marathon expo in 2012, and I’ve never looked back. I’ve gone through a couple pairs, and I’ve never been more satisfied with a shoe. I’ve always been an Asics’ girl, but these are hands down my favorite. They recently released the GT 2000-2 which are currently sitting in my closet waiting for their first run!

Asics GT-2000, Heaven for your feet

Asics GT-2000, Heaven for your feet

Favorite Half Marathon: Sandy Ridge Half Marathon – No longer around, this half marathon will always have a place in my heart. This course ran on my street and surrounding roads I grew up running on, the roads where I fell in love with running. My favorite moment of this race was running by my parent’s house, hearing them cheer and seeing words of encouragement sprayed onto the road.

Run!

Run!

Favorite 5k: Love-A-Stray 5k – I’ve run this race every year it’s been around, and will be running it for the third straight year next weekend. I grew up volunteering at the Love-A-Stray shelter and adopted two cats from them as well, so this race has always held a special place in my heart. Registration is still open if you’re interested in running, pups can join too!

Mile 2-3

On course last year

Favorite Place to Run – I will always love running in the Cleveland Metro Parks. There are so many opportunities and trails to discover, it’s hard to have a bad day running there. I don’t get there as often as I used to, so my second favorite has become Buckeye Woods and slowly creeping up to my number one spot.

Welcome to my happy place.

Welcome to my happy place.

Favorite Band on my iPod – Anberlin has been a favorite for a long time. Whether it’s a long run, or a race, they pump me up and remind me of how far I’ve come. They’re finishing up their last year together, but listening to them will always be a good reminder of the many, many miles I’ve run.

Favorite Run Fuel – Sport Beans are without a doubt my favorite thing to snack on during long runs and races. With such a sweet tooth, I’m not sure how I keep these in stock at home. I did a review last year, and naturally my favorite was and still is Lemon Lime. Best packet for long runs? That definitely has to be the assorted pack. This year they’ve introduced Extreme Pomegranate and Extreme Assorted.

Sport Bean Flavors

Sport Bean Flavors

Favorite Nuun – It’s no surprise that my favorite Nuun is Lemon Lime. Lemon Lime has always been my thing, and Nuun does it perfectly. They recently came out with Nuun Energy, which keeps the refreshing taste of the lemon lime flavor, but adds caffeine to stay hydrated and awake all day. Can you say perfection?

How do you make Lemon Lime better? Add caffeine!

How do you make Lemon Lime better? Add caffeine!

So here’s my chance to share the love of one of my favorite things. The awesome folks at Nuun are joining in on my birthday month and letting one lucky winner pick their favorite Nuun 4 pack for themselves! Here are the rules:

  • The contest will run from Friday, April 18th to Thursday April 24th, ending at 9:00 EST.
  • A winner will be randomly picked and announced on the blog on Friday, April 25th.
  • You may enter one time per option, leave a comment telling me which options you choose.

Here’s how to enter!

Good luck and stay hydrated!

Medina Half Training: Week Nine

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This week was pretty much perfect. I got everything in that I needed to do, and I felt great the entire week. I’ve been waiting for a week like this for such a long time, I’m still feeling the runner’s high. Or maybe it’s the allergy medicine….

Body Fusion was the perfect way to start the week. I actually wanted to skip it, and lounge on the couch all night, but forced myself to get out the door and I definitely didn’t regret it. It was probably the hardest, but most rewarding class yet. I was sweating within two seconds of lifting, and my body was taking a beating, but I was lifting heavier weights than normal and I could feel myself getting stronger. By the time we got to yoga, I was ready to relax, and somehow I managed to hit every pose on point.

Tuesday’s run was everything I hoped it would be. I was a little nervous about the possibility of pain in my knee, but I had fresh legs and kept dipping well under a 9:00 pace. I was able to get four miles in and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I even got to run a few hills while watching the sun set, talk about a perfect run.

photo

This view never gets old.

Wednesday I took off to work on a spring project, but Thursday I was right back out there. I headed over to Buckeye Woods to work on a tempo run. I needed to make sure that I focused on staying consistent and wouldn’t get interrupted by traffic or too many distractions. But really my biggest distraction was the wind.

I headed out on the Chippewa Inlet trail and had a goal of getting to Chippewa Lake and turning around. I made my way out and was a little thrown off by the cross wind. I was supposed to stay at a 9:16 pace, but I just couldn’t do it, I’m horrible at being consistent. So I stuck with what I could, and tried not to get blown over. I managed to keep an ok pace despite the winds, and found some amazing views. Unfortunately the path was completely flooded about a half mile from the lake, so I had to turn around. But that gave me a chance to take this video, which pretty much sums up my love for the country. After I got back to the park, I finished up my cool down on the limestone trail and felt pretty satisfied on how my run went.

This is perfection.

This is perfection.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: 4 Miles

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 5 Miles Tempo, 1 Mile w/u-9:20, 3 Miles at 9:20, 9:10, 9:15, 1 Mile c/d-9:45

Friday: Off

Saturday: 12 Miles, 9:22, 9:49, 10:06, 10:00, 9:46, 9:49, 10:09, 9:55, 9:52, 10:01, 9:57, 10:26

Sunday: 3 Miles, 8:45, 8:58, 9:03

Total Miles: 24 Miles

Saturday was my long run day, and I was a little nervous. It would be my longest run in 6 months, and after last week’s struggle to get 11, I had my doubts. I met up with Mike, a member of MCRR and we decided on an out and back route. The plan was to run a 10:00 minute pace and see how we felt from there. Our pace started out a little too quick, but by mile two we were able to slow down. We headed out through town and onto Lester Trail, hoping the soft ground wouldn’t be too harsh on our legs. We talked most of the way, and stopped every four miles to stretch and take in fuel and water.

We hit the 6 mile mark a little under 1 hour, so we knew we could slow down a bit on the way back. By this point, it was starting to warm up and more people were out on the trail. Around mile 7 my hips started to get a little tight, but once I stretched at mile 8, I felt fine. My biggest concern was making sure my knee didn’t have any pain, which at this point was feeling fine. Despite setting the goal of a 10:00 minute pace, there were numerous times that we kept dipping under to 9:52. Better to be a few seconds fast, than way too slow.

When we got back towards town, we had about 2 miles left, and naturally those were the hardest miles of the day. Our pace started to pick up until we were faced with the last mile, which was about 95% gradual incline. Our pace slowed way down, but we managed to make it back to the square and finished in under 2 hours. I felt great afterward and although I was pretty worn out, I felt like I could have put in a few more miles. But instead, I headed home for some food and relaxation, and spent the rest of the day recovering on the back deck enjoying the beautiful weather.

Perfect post run hydration

Perfect post run hydration

I woke up Sunday struggling to breathe from allergies, but when I noticed how warm it was and how fresh my legs felt, I couldn’t help but get a short recovery run in. I didn’t have a plan for how far or how fast I would run, I just wanted to go by how my legs felt.

I headed out towards the back roads, and ran 1.3 miles before even checking my watch. Even with the rolling hills, I felt amazing and my pace was well under 9:00. I turned around before I got too far in case my legs decided to stop working and was hit with some strong head wind. I definitely had a tough time coming back, but my legs kept going. I finished up and felt stronger than ever. After Saturday’s long run I was able to run a speedy 3 miler with rolling hills and a strong wind.

Recovery run done right

Recovery run done right

I’m still not quite sure how, but every run this week was exactly where it needed to be. I enjoyed every single run and honestly feel the strongest I have all training. So maybe I’m not running as long or as often as others, but there is a method to my training madness, and I’d say it’s working.

 

Facts about Type 1 Diabetes: This week I wanted to focus on two major events that occur each year to help find a cure for Diabetes.

Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes: The signature fundraising walk of the American Diabetes Association, which has raised more than $175,000,000 to stop Diabetes. 120 walk events are around the US each year to help cure Diabetes. More information can be found here.

Tour de Cure: A series of cycling events that are held in 44 states to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The tour has multiple lengths for riders and has raised more than $89,000,000. More information can be found here.

If  you’d like to donate to Team JRDF and help find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, check out my page here.

 

Medina Half Training: Week Five

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What a week. I wish I could blame the weather for how different my schedule was this week. In fact, I think I will. This week was way off schedule, but I did what I could. It wasn’t my best, but luckily it ended on a high  note.

Monday, I skipped my Body Fusion class, but for a good reason. Darren came home after a week in India, so naturally I wanted to spend time with him. Knowing he’d be working late all week and transitioning into a normal time zone again, I knew it would be our best chance to spend time together until the weekend. Selfish yes, regret working out, nope!

I missed the perfect weather on Monday night, but took advantage of the decent weather on Tuesday night. It was a bit chilly and dreary, but I was able to get three miles in on the trails before it got too dark. The trail had some sections that were completely covered in ice and snow so there were a few moments of walking, but it felt so good to get outside, in shorts! I discovered a new section of trail, which was a good way to pass the miles.

Same trail, same run.

Same trail, same run.

Wednesday was a complete mess. With the snowstorm all day, traveling home was a disaster. I opted to switch Thursday’s Yoga or run day with Wednesday’s run. I was absolutely exhausted, but was able to do a 20 minute Power Yoga video in the basement.

Thursday, I somehow ended up with too many options. Our Second Sole has started group runs every Thursday at 6:30. We also had a MCRR group run/bar crawl at 7. Due to traffic, I decided to go to the later run, and was so glad I did.

MCRR decked in Green!

Some MCRR decked in Green!

We started at Johnny Malloy’s and ran the back way through town to a bar called Cin Dee’s Place. I had never heard of it, but we ventured to the other side of the tracks, so I had no idea what I was in for. Once we got there, we had some drinks and decided to venture back to the original bar. By this time it was dark and almost not safe to be out running. The sidewalks were a mess, but luckily the cars were kind enough to share the road. We made it back, had a giant feast and ended up drinking/eating until 11:00pm. It definitely wasn’t a typical run, but it was a lot of fun.

Always be hydrating!

Always be hydrating!

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 3 Miles

Wednesday: 20 Minute Power Yoga

Thursday: 3 Miles- MCRR Group Run/Bar Crawl

Friday: Off

Saturday: St. Malachi 5 Miler + 4

Sunday: Off

Total Miles: 15 Miles

Saturday was St. Malachi, more to come on that later this week. I knew I had between 9-10 on my schedule, so I opted to run 5 miles at the race and finish the rest at home. I was desperately seeking some soft ground to run on, and since most of the snow was gone, I headed to Buckeye Woods.

My legs felt tight and heavy, but after spending an hour in the car post race, I figured they’d just need a little bit of a shake out. My first mile was 8:58, but I felt like I was going so slow. My legs were still tired and stretching wasn’t helping. I ended up doing two loops around the marsh, hoping the longer I stayed on soft ground, the better my legs would feel. By the time I headed back through the woods and towards the car, my legs were screaming. My legs were dead and I couldn’t go a step past 4 miles. With 9 miles total for the day, my last four ended up something like this….2.5 miles under 9:00 minute pace, 1 mile at 9:04 and the last half mile was definitely above 9:15/9:20.

However, considering I spent an hour sitting in between running, I’m not surprised with how tight I was feeling during the last four miles. I am surprised I was able to knock out the last miles at or around a sub 9:00 minute pace.

Just me and the trail

Just me and the trail

I had hopes of doing a shake out run on Sunday, but ended up with a bad migraine that took me out for the rest of the day. I was so miserable, that even doing some light yoga was out of the question. So unfortunately I ended under where I wanted to be for mileage, but all things considered, it was still a pretty good week.

Who else ran St. Malachi? Have you done at home workout videos, which ones are your favorite?

Weekly Type 1 Diabetes Fact: If you or a someone you know has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, you should know that you’re not alone. There are a number of places that you can turn to for support or knowledge about Type 1. Each of these groups can help you understand Diabetes more, help you find others that also share this disease, and ways to help you live your life to the most.

The biggest thing is knowing that you’re not alone, and that you don’t have to go into this blind. There’s always something new to learn and events to reach out to others with Type 1 Diabetes.

If you’re interested in donating to help cure Type 1 Diabetes, you can help here.