Coach Jen B

My legs have been feeling heavy lately.  My ITB hates me.  So do my calves.  Oh and the arch of my foot has started to ache.  I'm falling apart.  Not really.  But it feels like it.  Maybe I'm being overdramatic.  Just a little.     In addition, I feel like I've lost all speed in my legs.  I wasn't super speedy before, but I definitely feel like I've lost progress in the speed department. But I've got to ask myself - is speed really important to me?  Is that the only reason why I run?  Hell no!  I am running to ease my anxiety, I am running because it makes me smile.  I am running for my health and to be a positive role model for my kids. I am training for my first 50k which will be happening in 29 days if I'm ready or not.  My plan is to be ready for it.  And I'm going to stick to that plan.  I'm not going for speed at all on this one.  I'm just going for the experience of my first 50k,...

Running an obstacle race has been one of those races I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.   Add in some mud , in the middle of the summer , in the Boston area , and the name Dirty Girl and I am sold.   A few highlights of what The Dirty Girl 5k is about: -        women only -        for all ages and athletic abilities -        untimed, obstacle course -        teams are encouraged -        music -        adult beverages post race Now if you want a good laugh, check out the names of the 12 obstacles you will find along the course.   The names make me a little nervous but make me laugh even more.   I cannot wait to get down and dirty with my girls with these obstacles.   - Stairway to Heaven - Networking - Utopian Tubes - Get Over Yourse...

The past few days I've been reflecting on 2012. I've had many PR's . Gasping Gobbler 5k - 21:24  January Thaw 4.5 Miler - 33:52 Tufts 10k - 46:39 Race The Runways 1/2 Marathon 1:44:04 MDI Marathon 4:00:27 rocking the start at MDI - another marathon in the rain! I also ran my first 200 mile relay race with team Need for Speed at Reach the Beach: MA last May.  I see myself doing another relay sometime, just not right now.   Not only was a part of a fantastic team, I came out of it with some great friendships. I decided to try out trail running.  I realized that I have no sense of direction and that I have to really pay attention to the trail markers.  But after a few races, I think I'm liking it and will do more next year! I've continued to run with the rail trail chicks - and continue to find them to be the most enjoyable runs of my week.   Well - next to being able to run with my husband.  I've been lov...

I cannot believe Christmas is here already!  I've really enjoy the past few weeks with the kids and doing some Christmas activities in our area. LL Bean has been the major source of our holiday fun.  This store really puts on quite a holiday event.  They started with the events in mid-Novemer and are still going strong.  I've taken the kids down several times to different events. Carriage Rides  Ben and Bill, two beautiful horses, and their owners are one of the main shows at LL Bean.  They are offering carriage rides around Freeport.  It's just a quick little ride around the block but it's still quite a bit of fun!  Izzy is still in love with them.  When we went down to LL Bean yesterday, we say Ben and Bill heading off for another carriage ride and she shouted out "hi Ben and Bill!  I love you!"   The Sparkle Parade I wasn't sure this one was going to happen.  It was a very dreary, rainy night, ...

This past Sunday, Jill, Stacy and I met up for a chilly run.  The thermometer read 9F just as I was heading out the door.  It's getting colder! We met up on our beloved rail trail.  I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to run on it because as the snow starts to pile up, the rail trail just gets far too icy to deal with.  Ice and running do not mix. While we were very happy to run together (while we were missing Carrie who is swamped in renovating her new house - hurry up, Carrie!), the mood was on the sad side.  We spoke about the Sandy Hook events and how it affected us and our fears.  All three of us are teachers and have young children.  Our hearts go out to the families. I ran 11 miles will Jill and Stacy and then went back out for 2 more miles to total 13 for the day.  On the way back from the last 2 miles I kept hearing the cracking of the ice from the river.  I think that sound made me feel even colder.  Soon the...

My inlaws recently moved in with us, while their house is being built.  While it's been quite a change for everyone involved, there's definitely been one incredibly huge benefit.  They are more than willing to watch the kids so Ward and I can run together.  Something we don't get a lot of time to do.  Usually the only times we can run together take place in the warmer months when Tucker can ride along with his bike and Izzy can travel in her jogger.  With the kids spending some time with their grandparents, it's allowing time for Ward and I to run together.  This week I was able to run with Ward three times!  Monday night was an unexpected run.  I had already gotten in a speedy 5 miles just after school and was tired already as it was.  But when Ward came home and suggested I run with him, it took me all of two seconds to say "okay".  It was dark and spooky on my road, but I felt completely safe with Ward.   Then Wednesday I...

It's never too late to recap, right?  I've been meaning to recap this week for days now.  I've even had the post written up in my head, but then when I finally find time to sit down at my computer, I completely forget.  Perhaps I've been far too busy doing Christmas shopping on the computer instead of blog writing. Running mileage for November: 136. at least I'm up 20 miles from October.  Right?   Biking mileage:  0.  Hmmm...I think it's because Ward banished my bike to the hallway.  It's boring to be out there.   Races run:   1.  I ran the Gasping Gobbler Thanksgiving Day, with a 5k PR time of 21:24 .   Total Mileage for the year:   1476.57 miles.  Ward's at 1542.  Ugh!  He's kicking my butt this year! Now - here are my goals from my October Recap.  Let's see how I'm doing with them..... Speed work - I really want to run a sub 4 hour marathon - so speed work it is....

With winter coming up quickly, focusing on staying healthy is very important to me.  It seems like everyone is sneezing or coughing.  As much as I'd love to just put a big bubble around myself and my family, I know that's a bit extreme and freakish.    Instead, I try to focus on the following tips to stay healthy.  Of course, it's not 100% fool proof and I've been known to get sick, but I'd like to think these little hints help me stay mostly healthy throughout the cold/flu season! Keep Active.   Schedule in at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day.  Keep the blood flowing and endorphins going.  Once you stop, it's harder to get back into it.  I keep a schedule to keep myself motivated.  I have found that without a schedule, I flounder and give up more easily.  I also try to remember to rest of my rest days.  Some days 30 minutes of physical activity means stretching.  And stop making excuses! "I don't have tim...

Everyday should focus on giving thanks and spending time with family.  In the craziness of life, it's easy to lose sight of the things we should be thankful for in our lives.  It's definitely hard to not take the good things for granted.   On Wednesday, my family had the pleasure of having an incredibly talented local photographer come to our home and photograph our family.   There is definitely something special about having a photo session done with the people you love the most and then seeing the love captured forever in the finished products.  We had an absolute blast with Brianne walking through our fields posing for her.   Within an hour of our photo session, Brianne had a photograph edited and uploaded to her facebook page.  Immediately we fell in love with her work and couldn't wait for more pictures to be uploaded.    Seeings these pictures reminds me of the things I am thankful for.     Mostly I am...

Parent Teacher Conference time is here and for all teachers it means extra long work days.  Fortunately, I had a break between the time school ended and the time I needed to back at school for conferences, which = RUN time!   The only issue is that if I go for a run, I'm going to be stinky.  I won't have time to shower before having to head back to school.    And I definitely don't want to be known as that stinky teacher. Timing couldn't have been more perfect because the day before conferences, I received a nice package in the mail from ShowerPill - full of Athletic Body Wipes.   I am impressed with ShowerPill.  The scent was light and fresh and the cloth itself was thick and quite large.  It definitely did the job.  I immediately felt refreshed and confident that I wasn't going to be stinky. Right now, ShowerPill is offering my readers a special promotion to Buy 2 boxes, get 1 box FREE for a special Black Friday sale on Amazon....

This girl is absolutely wiped out.  When I came home from work today and changed into my running gear, this girl started to get excited and started to "sing" to me and jump at the door.  I know that tune - and I haven't taken her out on a run for a while, so I took her out for my recovery run.  She did the first 4 miles of my run with me and was an absolute rock star.  She kept up with my pace - although it wasn't super fast - but she just trotted along like the best running doggy she is.   But I had no idea what she had done earlier in the day until just a few moments ago.  I just got off the phone with the husband and he took her for a run today as well - 4 miles this morning!  And I'm positive his pace wasn't exactly slow either. I'm feeling kind of bad right now that she had two 4 mile runs today.  I'm guessing I need to start scheduling in her runs with the husband so we don't work her too much!  In my defense, today was the firs...

Since taking my new job, it's been a dream of mine to run to or from work.  Yes.  That is actually what I dream about.  I'm odd. Anyway - Ward's car broke down earlier in the week so he's been driving his truck lately.  Now - it's dark so I'm not going outside to take any pictures of this beauty of a truck - so I'll just paint a picture for you - 1987 Ford F150, primer black.  Yes. Gorgeous. Ward's commute to work is much farther than mine and he's been wanting me to drive the truck.  Nope.  Sorry.  So the other day he asked if I would mind running home from work.  Hmmm.....let me think about that - of course I wouldn't mind! On Friday, he showed up at school with that beauty of a truck and told me I could drive it home if I wanted.  Ummmm.... NO!  Plus, I really wouldn't want to be seen driving that truck anyway.  Especially by the high schoolers! Thankfully I had my running stuff with me anyway - because I was plannin...

Planning our meals for the week on a Saturday morning is quite beneficial. I have found that the week night dinners are much less stressful. Yet I have found that I can still be flexible with dinners when I'm just not "feeling it".  We do always have plenty of eggs here, so a quick egg sandwich, scrambled eggs or omelet is healthy option. As I'm here, racing against the winds, hoping to get this post up before we lose power (thank you, Sandy) - here's the menu for the week. Sunday - The BBQ chicken calzone was delicious!  Super easy - chicken left over from my crock pot chicken last week, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce wrapped in my favorite Portland Pie dough.  Izzy said it was delicious! Tonight - Izzy and I had chiropractic appointments  - so a quick meal of Ham & Cheese paninis was in order.  Always a great dinner in my opinion - since I top mine with tomatoes, spinach, cukes, as well. Tuesday - I planned ahead and I'm assuming we'll ...

That was the day cancer stole my mother away from us.   She was only 54 years old.    She was the woman I confided in when the times were tough.   My rock.   She was one fantastic woman who taught me to be a strong, independent woman.   And I thank her for that.   I just wish she would have listened and quit smoking years ago.   Perhaps we’d still have her around so she could enjoy her four beautiful grandchildren. My mom & I - Acadia National Park I took it hard and didn’t deal with her death very well.   I sunk into a depression and made some poor choices.   Fortunately, with the love and support of my family and friends, the depression didn’t last very long.   6 years ago, I made a choice.   A choice to be a healthy role model for my son.   Someone who would start to enjoy life again.   I needed this and my family needed me to do it.   When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, ...

I'm a mom, a wife, teacher, and I have a garden & chickens.  Sometimes I think about all the happenings in my life and I get exhausted thinking about what needs to be done. This is just a glimmer of what a day in my life looks like: courtesy of Word It Out With a day like that - energy is vital.  I try to eat healthy most of the time, but that's not always enough.  Most of the time I turn to supplements for help.  Not all of them do the job - but this one sure did.  Introducing: ENERGYbits . Have you ever heard of it?  I hadn't before I was sent a sample for a review.   Now I cannot get enough of it!  Check it out for yourself.   source The only bad part is that I needed to hide them because this guy kept taking them.  I think he needs to get his own.   I love you, Ward.   But stay away from my ENERGYbits! I have had two very successful long runs with ENERGYbits . ...