Journey to Sub 3 - Episode 4: Building Confidence
Things have really turned around the last few weeks and I’m finally building up some confidence after this cycle’s rocky start. I raced a 10K a few weeks ago and while it wasn’t my best performance, I was happy with the results on a hillier course and a lack of confidence in my abilities at that point. Since then, I’ve been recovering quickly from workouts and doing workouts that are slightly new and different to me - challenging me in new ways.
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InsideTracker Review - Optimizing Biomarkers to Help Reach Your Goals
When I decided to get blood work done last month, I went to the Inside Tracker site to get a list of tests I should consider taking. I was already thinking of using their DIY testing option - you get the tests done through your health insurance or primary doctor and then upload the results to their site after you receive them. They also have options where you don’t have to deal with your doctor at all, order the tests you want, and just head to your nearest Quest Diagnostics site for the blood work and it all gets loaded directly into their system.
Journey to Sub 3 - Episode 3: 5K Race Recap + Blood Work Results
I grabbed a big 5K PR, but then got tough news in my blood work results. I held off on sharing much over the last 3+ weeks because I was navigating what was happening to me and how to take action. My blood work came back and showed I have a severe B12 deficiency, which explains all the symptoms I was experiencing with fatigue, weakness, poor recovery, etc.
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Garmin Index Smart Scale Review
I don’t do many product reviews, but after picking up the Garmin Index Smart Scale on Prime Day and using it for a few months, I thought other runners would like to hear my thoughts on the scale and how I’m using it.
Journey to Sub 3 - Episode 2: Extreme Fatigue
I was a bit worried I wouldn’t have much to share since the first several weeks of a marathon cycle are pretty boring, but shortly after posting my first video in the series I was hit with extreme fatigue. The fatigue is something I haven’t experienced since I first found out I was anemic over 4 years ago. I am continuing with my daily iron supplements as usual and am in the process of getting blood work.
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Journey to Sub 3 - Episode 1: So Many New Things
I’m back on that sub-3 journey! As you may or may not know, I didn’t hit my goal in the fall, but I’m back chasing that sub-3 goal this fall at CIM. I thought it would be fun to share this training cycle in a video/vlog series. This goal is huge and hard, so I want to share all the challenges I face each week as an average runner with everyday responsibilities, trying to tackle a big goal.
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Well, That Came Quick - My Fall Racing Plans!
When you run a late June marathon, the fall season pops up on you pretty quickly, so I’ve gotta get my racing plans out there! I definitely have a desire to race more this season because I didn’t race a ton during my Grandma’s buildup because running another marathon during your marathon training really wears you out! I want to use my races during the fall as check in points for my fitness to make sure I’m on track for my sub 3 hour marathon goal or to adjust if needed.
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Sweat Rate Test - My Results and How You Can Do Your Own
Now that I’m finally back to consistent running and starting to build both mileage and incorporate speed, I thought it was a great opportunity to perform a sweat rate test. While it feels like the summer is coming to the end, the next few months will remain warm and humid around here and I want to make sure I’m properly hydrated to optimize performance.
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Smart Summer Running Tips
It’s getting much hotter here in CA. Many of you have been dealing with the heat for a couple months now though, so Paula and I wanted to put together some training and hydration tips to help you stay healthy and strong during this tough season.
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2019 Grandma's Marathon Race Recap
Well that was a disappointing race, no? While I didn’t hit my goal of going sub-3, I’m surprisingly ok with it. I haven’t figured out if my body really just didn’t cooperate or if my mind just gave in too early. I went into this race so tired.
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Grandma's Marathon - What I Learned This Cycle + Goals For Race Day
Wow, wow, wow. I can’t believe its finally race week! Agh this training cycle has gone on forever, but that’s what happens when you feel like you need more time to get back to distance. I learned so much this training cycle, and while I’ve still got a few days left before its over and I’m sure I will have lots of post-race reflections, I wanted to take a minute to share a few of those things with you along with my goals for race day.
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Grandma’s Marathon – Gels I tested this cycle (Huma, Spring Energy, SiS Review) + Video!
For the last couple years, I’ve been training with two different gels during my marathon - Huma gels and PowerBar Simple Fruit gels. I found that alternating gels with different types of sugars resulted in less GI distress for me.
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2019 Boston Marathon Race Recap
A week later and I’m definitely still riding that post-Boston marathon high! I am still so in awe of how amazing the day felt and how much I fully enjoyed the race experience. It was everything I hoped it would be. I wanted to link you up to my 2017 Boston Recap post because the post race thoughts on Boston at that point resonate with me now. This race is hard to race. I felt lucky I wasn’t out for blood this year, because I would’ve been wrecked. Lowering my expectations and running this race for fun brought back all the love I missed out on two years ago.
How to Program Your Garmin - Advanced Workout Tutorial Video
The advanced workouts feature really takes the guess work out of doing a workout and allows you to focus in on just getting it done. No more writing it on your hand in sharpie or trying to memorize the workout before you head out. The video goes over how to input a workout and sync it to your watch on a desktop/laptop (my preferred method), or through the app on your phone over bluetooth.