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Marathons & Moderation Guest Post #6

Greetings from Washington, DC!

 I’m spending the next two days down here learning a lot about my new role and the business. This means that the next few days will be just like yesterday, going non stop with the customer until a late, amazing dinner and finally a midnight bedtime.

It’s exhausting but I’m learning a great deal so I don’t regret it one bit! I enjoyed an amazing chef’s tasting menu at CityZen last night and this morning I was up by 5:30 lifting weights and incline walking on the treadmill!

 

 

Before I head out for the day, I’m excited to bring you this week’s Marathons+Moderation Guest Post! Becky is an amazing and inspiring lady who has shared her journey to marathons on her blog, Beck on the Run. I first met Becky’s smiling face at Healthy Living Summit and most recently was able to spend time with her in New York City during the Mini 10K weekend!

I hope you enjoy this weeks guest post!

Hello, readers! Recently, Ashley asked me to participate in her Marathons+Moderation series.

My initial reaction was, “I can’t.” Why? Because last week I deferred my registration for the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

Last October I completed my first marathon in Newport, RI. It was a challenging, but truly magical day.

The marathon high lasted a long time. I wore my medal proudly and wanted to feel that adrenaline rush, that sense of accomplishment all over again. Without much thought, I registered for marathon #2 – National Marathon. I trained for that race through a snowy New England winter and completed 26.2 miles on March 26, 2011.

 

Those experiences bring me to today. I am not going out for a run. Instead, I will go to yoga and get in the pool for some laps. I am not training for marathon #3. Not yet. And that’s what I would love to chat about!

Marathons are demanding. They require strategic planning and a good amount of time. When you’re not running, you’re thinking about running, talking about running, stretching, eating bread, peanut butter, and bananas.

If you are training for a race with your whole heart, that’s exactly how it should be. There are so many ways for marathon training to enrich your life.

You bond with fellow runners during long runs. 

You learn about your body and what it likes.

You push your own physical and mental limits.

And you feel proud, happy, accomplished!

The key is heart. Your heart has to be in it to get the most out of the experience. Marathon training should not be a chore or a bore. There is no right or wrong time to train for a marathon. There’s no rule that you have to run a marathon every season or every year. When you feel ready to take on the marathon challenge, the time is right for you. I am a teacher enjoying the summer off. I have plenty of time to train for a marathon…but I’m not. I don’t feel 100% dedicated to the race, which means it’s not the right time for me. Someday, the time will be right again.

BeckOnTheRun is the place where I ramble about running and other random things. Running is fun. Life is fun. Enjoy every day!

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ashleyd /

Marathons+Moderation Guest Post #4

Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re staying cool as it’s supposed to be HOT outside today! I can’t believe we may hit 100 degrees in NYC today or tomorrow!

This week’s Marathons+Moderation guest post is from one of my new favorite bloggers; Monica! I finally had the opportunity to meet her in person last summer at Healthy Living Summit! She is as hilarious and real in person as she is on her blog! This lovely California girl knows how to kick it on the asphalt (she’s super speedy!) and at the dinner table. I hope you enjoy her guest post as much as I do! Also, if you’re interested in submitting a Marathons+Moderation post just leave a comment or email me at healthyhappierbear at gmail dot com.

Hello my name is Monica and I have a little blog called Run Eat Repeat. It’s about running and eating – not necessarily in that order.

I thought it was funny when Ashley asked me to write about moderation because I normally practice gluttony and sloth. But, those were her wishes so we’ll see what we can do 😉

Here are my tips for Training for a Marathon While Keeping Moderation in Mind
1. Run a lot. Then, run some more.

2. Eat a lot. This is my favorite part. I spend the last few miles of my run thinking up what I’ll eat after. Carb loading has never been a problem for me since my guy and I usually have a date night before my long runs and often hit up pizza, Thai or sushi – all loaded with deliciousness and carbs 🙂

3. Take Rest Days seriously. I am religious about my rest days. The day after every long run I don’t do anything at all. I basically get on the couch, order in Thai food delivery, get a bed pan and turn on The Real Housewives. That’s it.

4. Sleep. In addition to running and eating more – I sleep a lot more during marathon training. If you’re asking a lot of your body make sure you are giving it proper fuel and proper rest.

5. Have fun! I think this is one of the most important things to remember while marathon training. Unless you are getting paid by Adidas to run this race, treat it like a hobby. Find running routes you enjoy. Look forward to your runs, not with dread. Remember this is an amazing accomplishment and be proud of every run you cross off your training plan.

If you have any questions for me feel free to reach out at Run Eat Repeat.

Have a great day!

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Planning a Wedding & Still Having a Life (And Friends)

Greetings from the friendly skies! Bo and I are currently en route to Bermuda by way of our first Jet Blue experience! Hopefully their friendly customer service is just the first taste of how great the experience will be. This week, I plan to blog at least once a day about our Bermuda adventures. But, in case I have too much fun with Nemo and friends or the mopeds, I have lined up some fabulous guest posts!

Hello Healthy, Happier Bear readers! My name is Heather and I blog at Hangry Pants and for The Knot. This post is entitled, "Planning a Wedding & Still Having a Life (And Friends), but it could be entitled How to Move, Get a New Job, Buy a House, Get a Dog, Have a Boyfriend, etc. and Still Have a Life (And Friends) because what I’ve learned in the eleven months I’ve been engaged applies, I think, to a lot of life events where we think nothing else could possibly be bigger/more stressful/more amazing than this.

heathercuteLast June I got engaged, and since then I’ve gotten a new job, house hunted, tried to maintain some kind of life and plan a wedding.

WeddingPlanning

  1. Single Task: Getting multiple things done at once is absolutely awesome, but I find if I am actively trying to do two things at once I make more mistakes, forget things, and end up having redo something. I’ve learned to fight the urge to multitask and really DO one thing at one time. For example, if I’m trying to blog, blogging is the only active thing I’m doing. I might have the T.V. or music on in the background, but my brain and hands do one thing.
  2. Have Dates to Discuss: I have an involved groom, but I learned early on that unlike me, he can only handle wedding information in small doses at one time. At first, the following occurred a lot: Me, "Mark, do you want a cake?" Mark: "No, I want lunch." Me, "No! I mean at the wedding." Yeah I guess even an involved groom is not a mind reader. What we ended up doing is having Wedding Dates to talk about what needs to done and make decisions. It’s fun!
  3. Have Dates for Fun: On the other hand, I think it’s important to have times when we are not discussing the wedding, otherwise, it becomes this event that takes over our lives. The weather is nice no, so we’ve been going on nightly walks after dinner where we try not to talk about the wedding.
  4. Ask for Help: People will want to help you. Often, they do not know what to do to help, so if you feel comfortable doing so ask them to do a specific thing for you. For example, my mom is totally in charge of ceremony music.
  5. But Listen To Your Gut: Everyone you know who has ever done what you are about to do will want to tell you just what you should and shouldn’t do. I always listen politely, tell them I will consider it and move on. Some people have really good information to share, and others are just bossy. You know the difference, so trust your gut. 
  6. Have other Interests: I signed up for a half marathon about a month before my wedding just so I would have something else to do! It’s important to me to maintain a sense of normalcy here. People warn me in a scary way about the stresses of being a bride, but I refuse to let a happy time turn me blue! Whatever it is you love, squeeze it in; make time for your hobbies, yourself and the people in your life. Talk about other things. Continue to be an interesting person!
  7. Smile: Whatever it is, a stressful time or a happy time, it’s temporary. Experience it all and smile!

*Don’t forget to enter my health & beauty giveaway!

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