2019 Last Week Running (4)

February 25, 2019February 24, 2019 / Amy / Leave a comment

I decided that for the last week of Bingo, I can double up and mark multiple squares per run. This is helping, but it’s still going to be a bit of a stretch to get them all. Run before the kiddos wake up is going to require a 4:30 AM wake up call, so I’m not sure about that one. And, watch an entire movie while running is also going to be tricky because even if I split it up I’m not sure I can finish a movie before the end of the month.

I ran 3 times this week, on Monday I multi-tasked by studying flashcards during the run. It was a bit tough, but I felt doubly accomplished when I was done. Then, on Wednesday, I wore all black. It wasn’t as fun as dressing up in rainbow colors, but it was easy.

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My last run of the week was a virtual 5k! I listened to an episode of the Ali on the run show podcast while running, and knocked out two more squares for that. So efficient!!

I ran the “Stage 5k Clinger” through the Harry Potter running club I’m in. Mostly, I did it to cross a square off my bingo board, but I also pushed myself a (very) little bit so I can have a starting point for my resolution to PR the 5k. I upped my run segments to 8 minutes, and ran longer than I normally would in order to hit the 5k. I also ran slightly faster than normal. All this got me a 40m:20s 5k time. I included my warm-up walk in the time/distance, which was probably a mistake. I’ll need to shave off roughly 15 min. in the next 10 months in order to get my PR (yikes!).

Proof!

my medal

Victory ice-cream!

I still haven’t thought too hard about my “training” for this PR, so I’ll need to give that some thought. My virtual run club just announced their second race for this year, and it’s another 5k, so I might throw my hat in the ring for that one as well, with the intent of trying a bit harder and showing some improvement.

I have a plan (sort of)

May 22, 2017 / Amy / 2 Comments

Last Monday I was finally able to get my act together and go for a run during the week. At this point, I’ve built up the trouble I’ve had with weekday running so much that it’s like slaying a mythical beast (the bad kind though, not like a unicorn…I would never slay a unicorn…all that business about having a “cursed life”, no thanks!)

I squeezed it into a free half hour I had between Mr. Baby’s bedtime and my standing Monday skype call with my friend. I managed slightly over 2 miles. I essentially felt like a superhero for getting this done, and I’m thrilled to add this to my regular routine.

After that run, I didn’t run again for the rest of the week. (oops!) But I filled my time with doing things around the house, so I don’t feel too bad. I still want to work my way up to 10 miles so I can earn my medal for the virtual 10 miler I signed up for, so I’ll have to dial it back a bit on the DIY projects.

My medal is in that package…I just have to earn it!

I’ve been hoping to make an easy stroller run a regular weekly thing, but so far the weather hasn’t been agreeable. I’m sure things will turn around soon enough, and the price per run of my stroller won’t be so astronomical. (With only two runs under its belt it’s a pretty expensive ride..haha)

For months, I’ve been thinking I need a training plan to keep myself on track, but I’m starting to think I just need a weekly plan. Both for running, and other things I want to get done. Just a little something to keep me on track.

So far, here’s what I have:

Monday: squeeze in quick run before my Skype date

Wednesday/Thursdsay: Get in another run! JUST DO IT!

Saturday: Long(er) run

Sunday: Stroller run

The Wednesday/Thursday run I think will be the toughest to get done, and Sunday is weather dependent, so we’ll see on that one, but I think this will be a pretty good start. I plan to come up with some build up for the long run so I can get to that 10 miles, but other than that I’m keeping it pretty open.

Now, before I wrap up this post: I registered for a 5k on June 17^th!

It’ll be my first 5k since November 2015, and only my second road race since then. Know what that means? It’ll be a post baby PR! Is that a thing? I’m making it a thing. 🙂

What Now?

May 4, 2017May 3, 2017 / Amy / 3 Comments

Over the past couple of weeks, the following three things happened-

I ran the virtual 10k I’ve been “training” for.
I took my 5^th Actuarial Exam
I finished the Netflix show I was watching (Switched at Birth)

And now, I’m sitting here like, “What now???”

Soooo…last things first I guess. I decided NOT to find another Netflix show. Jeff and I still have a show we watch together, but I’m not going to start another show just for me. I’m hoping this will prompt me to do more things at night after Mr. Baby goes to bed. So far, I can’t say this has changed anything except to make treadmill running less appealing, but I’m still hopeful. I’m thinking I should find movies to watch while running. At least with movies there’s no “just one more episode.”

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I totally know the signs for “okay”, “thank you” and “dating”. The essentials.

Moving backwards up the list, I’ve had some difficulty deciding what to study next on the actuarial front. There are some changes in the works in regards to the credentialing path, which has resulted in several deadlines I must meet in order to avoid new requirements. The timing of this stinks and is the main reason why choosing what’s next has become such a dilemma. I think I’ve settled on focusing the next few months on an online course about corporate finance. I haven’t pulled the trigger on buying the course yet because I still feel unsure about what order to do things. Ultimately though, I need to stop waffling about this and just DO SOMETHING. Something is better than nothing.

Now, on to the running.

10k and S.P.E.W medal!

I’ve signed up for another virtual race through the Hogwarts Running Club. Technically, the suggested run date was yesterday, but that’s the beauty of a virtual race…you can do it whenever you please. This one is the Unmasked 10 Miler. Which means I need to progress from 10k to 10 miles. While I’m fairly certain I could build up to 10 miles in the same pathetic manner I built up to 10k, I’d really like to finally get my act together and run more than once or twice a week. I’ve settled on using the 80/20 running plan, but need to pick a distance – the plans in the book are for 10k or ½ marathon. Technically, I could craft my own plan, but I’m not up for that right now. Whichever I pick, I’ll tweak the long run distances, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go with that.

I know it sounds like I’m pretty settled on my running plans, so let’s throw a tweak in there. I got an email this week about a 5k near my house that would be work sponsored. I have a hankering to do this race, so then what plan do I use? Would I use the 5k plan and do the 10 miler later? Do I just run the 5k with no distance specific training (in other words, the same way I’ve run every 5k I’ve ever done)? It’s a tough choice! I’m not sure there’s even enough time to complete the 5k training plan before the race…maybe that’ll be the deciding factor. 🙂

So, tell me…did you finish anything recently? How do you decide what’s next?

My Magnificent Mad-Eye Moody Medal

February 27, 2017February 26, 2017 / Amy / Leave a comment

I’m not usually overly excited about getting a race medal. Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing the medal the day of/day after the race and feeling like a total champ. Beyond that though, I don’t feel like I really need it. I’ve tried getting more out of them as christmas tree ornaments…”hey, why don’t I hang up my medals from the year on the tree!”…only to take a hiatus from racing and/or not earn a medal for two entire years.

Yeah, this is a good way to display them.

I’ve also taken steps to find a place to display them (even if only for my eyes). I spray painted an old tie rack gold to use as a medal hanger, but it’s currently sitting on the floor of our home gym with a box of medals next to it, and it’s been there for over a year.

I’m telling you all this so that you know that I never sign up for races “because of the medal”, and I’m not ever disappointed if a race doesn’t have a medal. I’m happy with a tshirt (cotton is fine), or a pint glass, or even just a delicious post race doughnut. (More donuts please!) The medal? I could take it or leave it.

Smootie in my PR Half glass 🙂

Except the virtual race I just did (The Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody Constant Vigilance 5k) had the BEST MEDAL EVER, and I LOVE IT!! I need to find a way to display it! I took a photo with it. It’s sitting on my desk in our office right now, and I’m gazing at it lovingly. (sigh).

Mad Eye Medal for Mad Eye’s Race

It’s a real beauty, isn’t it? You can’t tell from the picture, but the blue iris part is all googly because it’s on a spring and it can rotate around the white of the eye. Seriously guys, this medal is a WINNER.

So, tell me, do you have a favorite medal? Are you all about the medals or more take it or leave it like I am? How do you display yours?

I Joined a Harry Potter Themed Virtual Running Club and It’s the Best Thing Ever!

February 6, 2017February 5, 2017 / Amy / Leave a comment

Well, that title pretty much says it all, but I’ll give you the nitty gritty details anyway because I think my husband has probably heard enough statements starting with, “So, in the Hogwarts Running Club…” J/K, he can’t wait for my daily report. 🙂 Previously, it was “Guess what I read about cloth diapers….” so I’m sure this is actually quite a refreshing change. (BTW is anyone interested in what I read about cloth diapers??? I have LOTS to say! hahaha) Anyways, I’m getting off track. Let’s start at the beginning.

A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away…..wait, wrong universe!

Really, though, I have been following The Hogwarts Running Club (HRC) on Facebook for maybe 2 or 3 years. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and as soon as I heard about HRC, I was all, “sign me up!!!”. But I didn’t really sign up. For whatever reason, I just watched from the sidelines. (ugh.. Past Amy is the worst!)

The kind of awesome thing that gets posted in the HRC

Now fast forward to this January. I was contemplating running a half marathon in March, and in order to have any hope of making this possible, I needed to get my butt in gear (and fast). To do this, I decided to sign up for my first HRC virtual race, which had just opened for registration. In general, virtual races don’t motivate me to quite the same extent as in person races, but having a 5k on the calendar (virtual or otherwise) would at least push me to run 5k, my current distance being a tad shy of that. Plus I’d get a themed medal, and the money goes to charity. Both good things. It was signing up for this race that spurred me to find out more and really become a member of the HRC.

Here’s a little Q & A-

How does a virtual running club work?

This is the only virtual running club I’ve ever belonged to so I can’t really give you a one size fits all description, but this particular club is a virtual community (on Facebook) of runners who all love Harry Potter and motivate each other to run. There are themed virtual races and competitions.

What makes this one Harry Potter themed?

First of all, the virtual races have Harry Potter themes. The one I registered for was the Alaster “Mad Eye” Moody Constant Vigilance 5k. They also have a yearly Platform 9 3/4K. Additionally, members join one of four houses (or designate themselves as faculty/independent) and miles are tracked between houses for a year long House Cup competition.

How do I become a member of the Hogwarts Running Club?

Anyone can follow the Hogwarts Running Club on Facebook. To really join up, though, you need to request to join the closed Facebook group “The Great Hall”. From there you can read all the relevant info about the club, and go on to join the Facebook group associated with your house.

How do you pick a house?

The official recommendation is to be sorted on Pottermore.com or take another online quiz. I went with Pottermore and was sorted into Gryffindor. (This surprised me, I thought I’d be Ravenclaw for sure). When it really comes down to it though, you have final say. According to club rules you can even join two houses for a couple weeks to find out where you fit in best. And this is important, because your house is where you get most of your motivation.

I knit this as a gift, but couldn’t resist trying it on myself. (And pretending to cast a spell with my knitting needle wand)

How are miles tracked?

HRC uses the Charity Miles app to track miles for the house cup. They ask you to join both the HRC team and your house team within the app, so total miles can be tracked as well as the house specific miles. These miles are tallied each week and houses are awarded points depending on miles per person for that week. This week, there is a special challenge and it’s Gryffindor/Slytherin vs Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw teams. Right now, Gryffindor is in last place for the House Cup, and this fact has been MAJOR motivation to get me moving!

Anything else?

There is definitely a charity aspect to this running club. Registration fees for the virtual races go to charity (and they are tax deductible!) and Charity Miles is used for tracking mileage. HRC is run by a non-profit, and there is a lot of encouragement to log more miles in order to do #somuchgood

I’ll never get a letter from Hogwarts; I’ve got this though!

I hope this helps explain the Hogwarts Running Club. This whole experience has been really great so far. Most importantly because it’s gotten me so excited about running! I strongly encourage any other running Harry Potter fans to check it out!

Need more info? http://www.hogwartsrunningclub.org/faq.html

Let's Go Running

and running will be awesome

HRC