2015

Happy belated New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year! My New Years Eve was low-key, but it was spent with family and loved ones, and that made it pretty special. 🙂

I have a quick correction to make from my last post – in it, I said my mom and I had crossed off 3 states… BUT I FORGOT ABOUT THE SHAMROCK HALF IN VA!! So make that 4 states, for a total of 7 states down. Only 43 to go! 😉

But given that my last post was looking back on 2014, I figured now would be a good time to talk about 2015- goals, resolutions, the typical New Year drill. 🙂

• Incorporate a weekly hill workout into my running routine. I know hills are good for me. I know that, but I still hate them with a passion. Well, I want to try to change that in 2015. There are plenty of hills in the surrounding neighborhoods, so I’m going to suck it up, and start running them.

Hopefully this doesn’t happen to me.

• Get a little speedier. To be specific, I’m hoping to start running half marathons averaging around 8:20-8:40 minutes/mile more regularly. And I wouldn’t mind a PR in a 5k either. This goal is a bit long-term, but I’m excited to start working on it.
• Keep crossing off states. Florida is next and we leave in 9 days! I’M SO EXCITED!!!!
• Keep using online workout videos for cross-training. In 2014, I discovered Fitnessblender, and finally started doing some different types of workouts (for example, I discovered I actually enjoy their 10 minute Tank Top Arms workout!) Through my ambassadorship with Sweat Pink, I’m currently getting to test out workouts from Gigabody.com right now! Like Fitnessblender, Gigabody offers users access to tons of different types of workouts of varying difficulty (though you need to join for $8.99/month in order to view the workouts). I’m still checking it out, but a full review is on the way!

And in terms of blogging goals…

• I’m looking to rebrand Adventures of a Mother-Daughter Running Duo in 2015! At the blogging conference I attended at the Heartbreak Hill Half, several successful bloggers stressed the importance of not being afraid of change.

Or in this case, the blog matures with us. 😉 The blog will still be about running with my mom and our plan to run a half in every state (OBVIOUSLY), but I’m looking to shorten the name, and give it a slightly different look. So, I will be starting to work on that very soon, but I will try to keep posting regularly in the mean time.

So that’s a quick look at some of my plans for 2015! I’m very excited for the New Year and all the new things it will bring. 🙂

Do you have any resolutions for the New Year?

Reflecting on 2014

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Can you believe 2015 is already here?! 2014 seems like it just flew by for me. 🙂 It was a great year overall, and before making some New Years Resolutions, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at what happened this year.

• My mom and I crossed off 3 more states in our mission to run 13.1 miles (or more) in every state – Vermont (with the Mad Half Marathon), Connecticut (with the Amica Iron Horse Half), and New York (with the Rochester Marathon)

 

• We also experienced running up Heartbreak Hill with the Runners’ World Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon and Festival. That hill was tough even as a half marathon, and I have a new respect for the Boston marathoners who have to run it after having already completed 18 miles!

• We also got to hear Shalane Flanagan speak at the event, which was so incredible! She was so down-to-earth and funny, and I’ll definitely be rooting for her in 2015.
• In September, my mom and I finished our first marathon – the Rochester Marathon!! After playing with the idea of a marathon for so long (and even mentioning it in my 2014 Non-Resolutions post), it feels incredible to think I actually did it. And I know for sure that there will be more. Even though my toenail still hasn’t completely grown back. 😉

• I began my senior year of college at SUNY Geneseo… and then I graduated. I absolutely loved my undergrad experience, and I am very excited to go back and see my friends in May and walk at my graduation.
• I continued to grow this blog! When I first started blogging, I didn’t really know what I was doing (at all). But I’ve learned so much since then, and I’m so happy to see my little corner of the internet improving! Now that I’m home, I’m really excited to devote some time to making it even better (but I’ll talk more about that later!)

I want to come up with some goals for the new year. But for now, I’m pretty happy to just celebrate 2014.

I hope you enjoyed 2014 too and have a wonderful New Year’s Eve!

Home For the Holidays

Hello hello!

I’m finally home and back to the blog! 🙂 It feels so wonderful to be back for the holidays, with my family and of course, Brady and Keeper!

I think they missed me. 🙂

It’s been a crazy last few days – just to recap, my mom and I went into Boston on Thursday, and walked around Quincy Market a bit, window-shopping and keeping our eyes out for Christmas presents! We obviously had to take a picture of the beautiful tree.

We didn’t end up buying much, but my mom and I did share an oreo cannoli and cappucinos from one of the bakeries in Quincy Market, which was pretty fantastic!

I spent most of Friday and Saturday trying to unpack all the things I’ve accumulated since starting college – not an easy task!

But Sunday, my mom and I got our first run in together since my coming home! We decided to make it a long one, and ended up going just over 7 miles – my longest run in a while!

It was flurrying a little, but we bundled up and it wasn’t so bad. I guess we can’t really let the winter weather stop us, given that we’ll be running our Florida half marathon in less than a month! 🙂 When we got home, we had coconut pancakes (it was a mix from Trader Joe’s) – these were SO. GOOD. I forgot to take a picture because I was so hungry and happy to be eating pancakes. I’m a bad blogger. 😉

This morning, I’ve been doing a little wrapping, and took Brady on a brisk, 3-mile walk. He loves his exercise and was happy as a clam to go.

While we walked, I listened to the last episode of Serial. I learned about this podcast after reading about it on Natalie’s blog, and have been listening to it regularly. I’ve really enjoyed it, but I have to say I was a little disappointed by the ending. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I’ll just say it left me with some unanswered questions.

I’m looking forward to a relaxing and merry Christmas later this week – I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy the time with your family and loved ones (including your pets!)!

If you listen to Serial, what did you think of the ending? 

 

 

How to Give Back By Running

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend! If you’re struggling with the back-to-work grind that is Monday, just remember, in exactly ten days, IT WILL BE CHRISTMAS!! 🙂 I have my last final and will be traveling home this week, so I apologize in advance – there will probably not be many posts this week! Check in next week and you’ll be rewarded with lots of cute pictures of my dogs. 🙂

Today I have a nice holiday post from my mom to share! So, without further ado…

With the holidays coming fast upon us,  it seems like a good time to take a moment to talk about giving back, whether the recipient is a family member, friend or your community.

There are so many ways to do this (and to even have some fun with it)!

Obviously, the most common way to give back is  straight up donations to your favorite charity, which is always great, especially if you work for a company that has a matching program, something worth asking about, or checking out on your company’s website.

Then there are those companies whose products give back through your purchase. Toms are one example (Nora has a pair, which she absolutely loves), and of course, there’s Janji, whose goal is “to help people in undeveloped countries get access to clean water through the sale of its clothing.”

Nora has reviewed Janji’s great apparel for us in a couple of posts, so we know their stuff is cool and comfy – and you get to support a great cause. (My  Janji shirt is so comfy and pretty that I prefer not to wear it out running, but to keep it as part of my stylish “athleisure” wardrobe. ) 😉

There are even special apps that help you put your running to charitable use! Runner’s World Magazine did a little piece about these apps in their March, 2014 issue, so check them out! FitCause, Run4Good, and CharityMiles are a few examples. Charity Miles works by donating 25 cents per mile run or walked and 10 cents per mile for biking. If one of these works for you, you can make your morning workouts benefit someone else, too!

I really liked this idea and checked these out myself, but as I am rather technologically-challenged (something my husband could definitely confirm)   I decided to make up my own charity running project. I made a simple spreadsheet, (which comes out different every time because I keep forgetting how to use Excel!) to log my miles, both running and walking.

At the end of the month, I add up the total and donate 50 cents for every mile to my favorite charity, Homes for Our Troops.  (This is a great organization that works to build especially adapted homes for disabled veterans ) Though I hadn’t intended this as a “motivational” tool for me, I found that I was really proud of the donations I made when the monthly totals were high – from training for the marathon – and so now, even though I’m not running quite as much, I’m still more motivated to get out there to keep those totals up.

I’m obviously not the first person to have this idea, but it’s become something I really enjoy doing. It’s simple and fun and that’s what’s made it so easy to incorporate into my routine for almost a year. And I figure when I’m too old to run  (haha), I will go on logging those walking miles, so this is one habit I won’t need to give up any time soon.

If you’re interested in checking out even more creative and inspiring ways to give back, you should take a look at the December issue of Runner’s World: there are some wonderful and inspiring stories of runners who have found some really cool ways to spread a little generosity.

So I hope that gives you a few ideas for your holiday running!

Have a great week! 🙂

Anticipating the Holidays

Hi again!

Again… Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. I had my first final yesterday and was studying diligently for it. 🙂 It’s crazy to think in exactly 5 days I’ll be done with my undergrad. AHHHHH! Lucky for me, my dad was nice enough to pick out a few things for a care package to help me get through all the studying. 🙂 I’ve been loving the Starbucks peppermint mocha via packets he sent! I only use a little bit of each packet, and mix it with regular coffee, otherwise it’s a little too sweet, but I love how festive it tastes!

I have to say I am very excited to go home and celebrate graduating and the holidays. I keep getting cute pictures of Brady and Keeper from my mom and I miss them!

Other things I’m excited about:

• Being able to run with my running buddy once again – and running 2 of our favorite holiday races: The Lowell First Run on New Years’ Day and the 5k Resolution Run to Kick Cancer. These were the first races my mom and I signed up for after deciding that we wanted to run a half marathon in the upcoming spring! They’re usually pretty brisk, but we always have a good time.

• 

  Here we are running the 10k on New Years Day!

• Getting to see our Christmas tree! Here’s a sneak peak of it:
• Enjoying some of my mom’s stellar home-cooked meals (and helping her out in the kitchen while listening to some good music!)
• Being able to read books for fun!! Haha, this is always something I miss during semesters, and I’m very excited to finally dig into my copy of Gone Girl.
• Going to see the movie Into the Woods with my mom. I was in the pit orchestra when my high school put on this play, and I fell in love with the music. With Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Johnny Depp all in Disney’s version, it’s sure to be good!
• 
• Obviously Christmas. The only individual in my house not looking forward to Christmas is our dog Brady – Christmas is basically his least favorite day of the year because he hates boxes and the tearing sound of wrapping paper. He usually ends up hiding away from all of us until the present opening is all finished.

What are you looking forward to around the holidays? Any special winter traditions?

Have a great end of the week/weekend!

 

Dear Running Sneakers…

Hello again!

Sorry I’ve been MIA this week – finals are here, and things are starting to get crazy! But I did manage to go for a great 6 mile run on Tuesday (averaged 8:57/mile!! Woo!). 🙂 That was the inspiration for today’s post.

Dear Running Sneakers,

Thank you for always being there for me. Even if I haven’t visited with you in weeks, I know you won’t hold it against me.

Thank you for protecting me from all the hard and painful things that might hurt my feet on a run. Sharp rocks, pointy sticks – they’re nothing now that I have you. No matter the season, I know you’ll be there to protect me from snow, mud, dirt – whatever I encounter.

Thank you for providing just the right amount of support and flexibility in our relationship. You allow my feet to flex and bend in just the right way to keep my toes happy and uninjured. But you also cushion my high arches and keep them comfortable no matter how many miles I’m running.

Thank you for helping me reach my dreams. I could never have run a marathon without you. And I certainly couldn’t run a half marathon in every state without you! Thanks for making these accomplishments and goals possible.

Thank you for boosting my confidence with your great style. I love your flashy blue color, and I love taking photographs with you. We look so good together.

Here’s to many more miles, races, and runs together!

Love,

Nora

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Why Winter Running Doesn’t Suck

Hello!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did. 🙂 It was so nice to spend the day relaxing and laughing with family and obviously enjoying a fantastic meal! I think the highlight for me this year was the acorn squash stuffed with graham crackers, brown sugar and cranberries that my aunt made. So good!!!

After eating all the wonderful food on Thursday and then leftovers on Friday, it was time for me to get back to running! My cold is all gone now, and I knew I had to get back out there. So, I bundled up and headed out for a nice little 4-miler in the 20 degree weather. So without further ado…

1. It gives you an excuse to buy more running gear because #Layers

2. You can turn it into a fun game of “Run Around the Ice Puddles” (if you lose, you slip and fall down… This just adds to the excitement.)

Hopefully you look that cute when you fall.

3. It hurts to breathe, but in a fun, ‘Look how awesome this is’-way

4. You look really hard-core because everyone driving by is thinking, “it’s 10 degrees out, WHY ARE THEY RUNNING?!” Honestly, it’s a fair question.

5. You get to enjoy the holiday cookies and treats mostly guilt-free (ok, this actually is a pretty nice advantage.)

6. When running up a snowy hill, you can pretend you’re reaching the summit of Mount Everest because honestly, that’s what it feels like.

7. If you pass a snowman, you can imagine it magically coming to life and chanting your name. If snowmen cheering for you isn’t motivating, I don’t know what is.

8. When you finish your run and go inside, your house will feel like a furnace so you can turn down the heat and save on your bills. Get cold again? JUST GO FOR ANOTHER RUN!

And if all those reasons fail, and you are still hating the cold and wishing for summer, try this playlist that I put together and maybe it’ll help change your frame of mind!

 

Hope this helps. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Break

Hello hello!

I know we are still a couple days away, but I just wanted to say…

I’m not going home for the holiday this year, since I will be home for good in about a month, but I’ll still be spending the break with family and I’m looking forward to some delicious food and a little break from the pre-finals grind! My mom wrote up a little post for today, talking about some of the things she is grateful for, and here it is!

When Nora and I began our “running journey” in November 2011, our goal was simple; train for and run a half-marathon in the spring. And we did that. But we  never expected  that that modest ambition would get us here.
Last month Nora posted her 100th blog entry, as well as hitting the 100 followers mark!!
So with Thanksgiving only a few days away I wanted to say thank you, to Nora and to all of you!

When we revised our goal and decided to aim to run a half-marathon in every state – and to start this blog, we knew we would be in for some adventures, some hard work, and a lot of fun.

But for me it’s meant something entirely unexpected. Of course, I would have kept running after those two half-marathons in 2011, but without these goals, I know my running would have continued in a much more casual way.

Instead, I’ve challenged myself to run more than I ever expected, to read more (of course books about running), to expand my knowledge of cooking and nutrition, and to revisit the writer in me. Three years ago I would never have dreamed  that I would be contemplating running another marathon as a way to celebrate my next birthday! But that is exactly what I am doing and all these things are gifts that I never expected.

My plan for marathon training. 🙂

So I wanted to say thank you to Nora for expanding our running goal to include every state, and for starting this blog which has been so much fun (and a lot of work!) and which has taught us both so much. (Remember the cricket bars? Yes, you can eat protein bars made with crickets.). And I wanted to say Thank You to all of you, our followers for reading about our adventures and contributing your thoughts and ideas.

So Thank you for everything and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

What are you thankful for this year?

 

PSA: Winter is Here.

Hello hello!

If you follow my Instagram, you know winter has finally hit upstate New York.

Oh joy.

THANK GOD, I have sunny Florida to look forward to mid-January! In case you missed it, my mom and I have picked out our next race and state – the Clearwater Distance Classic! From the race website –

“It might be the most challenging half marathon in Florida, with two ascents each over two relatively tall bridges connecting Clearwater to the barrier islands. It might be Florida’s most scenic half marathon, as the entire course is within 1/4 mile of Clearwater Bay and / or the Gulf of Mexico.”

I’m pretty excited. Those bridges sound tough, but after having survived running 26.2 miles in September, I’m pretty sure I can handle 13.1 miles plus a couple of hills. 😉 My mom and I were originally hoping to do one of the Disney races as our Florida race, but we ended up missing the registration opening, and it filled up crazy fast. A Disney race is definitely still on the bucket list, it just won’t be this year.

I would love to really train hard for this and to push myself for a new PR, and I even found a Hal Higdon training plan for if I do decide to go for it. But… I’m not sure it’s going to happen.

It’s super early in the winter, and the snow is already hitting pretty hard. Between the weather and the craziness that is college finals, I’m just not sure I’ll be able to get in enough running. But I’m keeping the idea on the back-burner for now.

Given that it has been snowy, and I haven’t wanted to take my life in my hands by running in these perilous conditions, I’ve been continuing to try out new Fitnessblender workouts! This week, I tried

• 30 Minute Brutal Butt and Thigh Workout – Drop it Like a Squat! (The title was highly accurate. There were a ton of squats, and my legs are still sore two days later.) This workout was the perfect excuse for me to try this Soakology muscle relief gel my mom sent to me from her recent trip to Maine.

It was kind of like a fancy Icy-Hot lotion, and I loved it! I put it on the back of my legs where I was the most sore, and it made my muscles all tingly and cold. Which might sound odd, but I promise it actually felt pretty darn good! If this sounds interesting to you, the same gel can be purchased here.

• Yesterday, I had a bit of workout video ADD. I first tried this Standing Abs Workout, but after 10 minutes or so, I decided to switch to something else. I’m not very flexible, and I felt like these exercises weren’t working very well for me because I just couldn’t get the range of motion for them to be challenging. So I did this Fast Abs 8-Minute Workout instead, which was much more manageable for me. And then, I topped it off with my favorite Tank Top Arms Workout!

Thank god I discovered Fitnessblender’s YouTube channel! These videos have been a lifesaver for times like these where weather has gotten in the way of my runs, and I feel like it’s so much easier for me to find the motivation to do these workouts since I can do them right in my room without having to drag myself to the gym. True story – I did the arms workout in my pajama pants the other day. 😉 Because I can be lazy and still desire to workout.

Happy Hump Day and have a good rest of the week!

4 Things Friday & An Announcement

Happy Friday!!

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m not doing a Fall Fitness Friday post today. This week was beyond hectic and on top of all that, I’m fighting a cold (although I am feeling a bit better than I was on Tuesday!).

Not only am I still not feeling 100%, but winter is truly beginning to set in. It snowed today.

It looked pretty, but I’m still not ready to let go of Fall! Bring back the 50 degree temps, pretty leaves, and perfect running weather!

I should probably be used to these winters by now, having grown up in New England and going to school in upstate New York, but even so, I’m having trouble accepting it. 😉

But moving on… Since I’m not doing the FFF Challenge this week, I still wanted to do a fun, personal post today. So, I thought, why not try my hand at 4 Things Friday! (Confused? Just keep reading!)

My Top 4 Favorite things about Fall:

1. Pumpkin spice everything… well mostly everything! 🙂 -> 16 Pumpkin Spice Products that Don’t Exist and Should Never Exist.

2. Scarves (I own a billion, but I love them all!)

3. Sweaters

4. Perfect running weather (have I mentioned that fall is perfect for running?)  😉

My Top 4 Movies:

1. Titanic

2. Bridesmaids

3. The Proposal (what can I say – I like romantic movies!)

4. Any of the Harry Potter’s

4 Songs I Can’t Stop Listening To Right Now:

1. Blank Space by Taylor Swift (watch the music video. It’s scary and weird and I couldn’t look away.)

2. You R in Love by Taylor Swift

3.Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift

4. This Love by Taylor Swift

(Yes, these are all from the new album by Taylor Swift. I can’t stop listening to it, and I’m not ashamed.)

My Top 4 Best Halloween Costumes (Since Halloween was only a couple weeks ago)

1. iTunes gift card (did this with my friend Ramya in high school – it was so fun!)

Woo, throwback to high school dances!

2.Facebook

3. Harry Potter’s little sister (yes… I made up a character for one of my Halloween costumes when I was younger.)

4. Cinderella

4 Places I’ve Traveled to:

1. France

2. Disney World (senior class trip! I want to go again. ASAP.)

3. Yellowstone National Park

4. Vermont (for the Mad Half last summer!)

And this category leads me to my next announcement… my mom and I have decided on our next half marathon in our 50 states mission! The next state we will be crossing off is… *drumroll please* 🙂

Yay!! I’m so excited to say my mom and I will be running the Clearwater Distance Classic in January. It will be wonderful to escape the cold and snow and go soak up some of the Florida sun. and run 13.1 miles and cross off another state while we’re at it. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed the 4 things post! Leave a comment of 4 of your favorite things – you pick the topic!

Have a wonderful weekend!