Coach Jen B

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...

A quick look back at October - Running Mileage - 116 whopping miles  - looks really pathetic next to that 180 miles for September.  But still - 116 is still great for me!  There was a marathon in there and taper, and rest after marathon.  So, looking at those factors, I'm happy. Biking Mileage - 24 miles w/ 415 total miles for the year Yearly Mileage - 1289 miles as of October 31st, but I've done 18 more miles since that screen shot - which means my yearly mileage is 1307.  Last year's mileage - 1300.  I guess I'm done running for the year. So, what are my goals for the remainder of 2012? - Speed work - I really want to run a sub 4 hour marathon - so speed work it is. - Strengthen my core - I'm not impressed with my abs.  Meaning - I know they are there, somewhere. - Build my base before marathon training kicks off in January.  Right now I'm happy with anything over 30 miles a week.  My goal is to get up to 40 miles com...

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...

I've had monthly chiropractic appointments since August 2010 - when my IT band decided it hated me.        Since I started going for my adjustments, I have been feeling great.  Then in September, scheduling got complicated and I couldn't figure out how to make my appointments work, so I stopped going.   I was feeling good, didn't feel any discomfort, so why not? BIG mistake.  Then I ran MDI.  The last 4 or 5 miles were on cambered roads.  When for me = hell on my IT band.  Ouch!  It hurt a bit during the race, but then subsided.  Or at least I ignored it.  I didn't feel any discomfort after MDI because I had been taking it easy.   Then I started adding in more speed work to my schedule.  Last Friday night I decided to do a modified Yasso 800 on the treamill with my 800's @ 3:40, 3:30, and 3:00.  I kicked ass.  I felt great.   After Sunday's long run with the girls - I start...

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 ...

The girls and I have not been able to run together for quite some time for a multitude of reasons.  But last weekend we finally got back together and ran a 5 mile trail race in Augusta.   We were more than happy to be back together.    - photo courtesy of Chuck Maletich We may not be speedy - but we sure look great!   PS I think Jill needs to get a matching skirt.  Don't you?   The girls listening to the rules of the race - pink ribbons on the left, white on the right.   Or was it white on the right and pink on the left.   Shoot, I forgot!   But, hey, Jill and Stacy trusted me and I didn't get them lost.   Yes, I brought my iPhone with me and yes I tried to take pictures when running.   It turns out I need a lot of practice.  But I like this one of Stacy going up one of our first hills.   And here's Jill!   I did not get this picture - my dad came to the race and t...

Last week I missed out on the Menu Planning post and frankly, I needed that structure to get me through the week.  My mind was so wrapped up in MARATHON - I completely forgot to make sure I had food for my lunch.  This lead to quite a bit of yogurt and granola.  Yummy, yes.  But I can only handle this for so many meals. I am a little late to the game this week - but better late than never, right? So here's what we're having for dinner this week: Yes - Sunday dinner was lobster (for me) and hotdogs for the kids.  Izzy did eat some of my lobster, but Tucker wanted nothing to do with it.  Fine!  More for me.  We had out-of-state relatives visiting, which usually means lobster!  Yay!   Monday - (today) - was soccer practice night & I was on my own with the kids, which meant quick/easy dinner.  We always have plenty of eggs and that's always a winner at our house.   Tuesday - Fish Tacos.  I buy some h...