Marathon+Moderation Guest Post #28

Holla – Healthy Happier Peeps! My name is Jocelyn and I blog at Enthusiastic Runner.

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I am excited that Ashley asked me to guest post for this series. I finished my first marathon in November 2010, and now I am training for my 2nd marathon on May 2012.

I find that one of the hardest parts of marathon training is balancing your life, work and training. My first marathon I didn’t balance my life at all. Now, the second time around, I want to make sure that marathon training doesn’t take over the rest of my life. Please note that I am in no way an expert (not even close) but here are my marathon training tips (take it or leave it):

  1. Schedule Everything. And I mean everything. You are obviously going to have your marathon training schedule, but you also need to figure out when you are going to fit in other things: friends, family, dating, relaxing time, haircuts, doctors appointments, grocery shopping, work, etc.. (yes, even if you have a 9-5 job put it on the schedule).

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  1. Kill two birds with one stone. If you can run with friends or family (or even as a date – good luck with that btw) – DO IT. If you look at all the activities on your schedule (see #1), you are going to notice that your schedule can get real busy real quick. But that doesn’t make marathon training impossible. One of the tricks is to do two things at once (please don’t date and go to the doctors at the same time), but running with friends/family is completely doable! Group runs are even better…

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  1. Think Small, but Dream Big. I know that when I talk to other people (non-runners) about signing up for a marathon the idea of marathon training can seem overwhelming. My advice is to think small – meaning focus on the run you have THAT day, not about the 20-mile run you have in 12 weeks. In 12 weeks you will be ready for that 20-mile run – trust me. Be patient. But in order to even start a marathon-training or sign up for a marathon, you must DREAM BIG. So start with that.

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Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/154952043398947700/

  1. Get A Running Coach. If this is your first marathon, this is completely NOT necessary, but if you are trying to make a specific goal time then I HIGHLY suggest getting a coach. At first I was completely against this idea, but then I got a running coach and it completely changed my training. If you need a coach – I recommend Dorothy (http://www.mile-posts.com/)! (see photo below)

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  1. SPARKLE. Honestly Run Team Sparkle skirts (http://www.team-sparkle.com/) have changed my whole race attitude. I always thought that you had dress a certain way when running a race… now I realize I don’t have to take myself so seriously. Also, sparkles = speed. In case you didn’t know.

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  1. Eat well and Don’t over eat. A huge misconception of marathon training is that you can eat what you want whenever you want. WRONG. Not just because you will gain weight, but you won’t feel as good running. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge every now and then. My advice: If you are going to indulge – make it count.

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  1. Hydrate. Sounds simple but during the winter I always find this extremely difficult. I never really feel thirsty, but I know I have to drink water or else I will start feeling sick. So I always keep a huge bottle of water on my desk for during the workday. I also like to drink NUUN a lot to keep my electrolytes replenished.

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  1. Start a blog. I first started blogging so that my friends and family could keep up with my marathon training, but now I love it! Honestly it helps getting feedback from other bloggers/readers regarding training. It will also help you make friends to run with (See #2)

 

  1. Download New Music. Every Tuesday morning when iTunes updates the new music for the week, I start downloading new songs that will be fun to run to. I am always asking people for new suggestions…although I have a love for country music…

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  1. Have some freaking Fun! Why else are you running a marathon than to have fun? No one is paying you to run a marathon (unless you are a professional athlete which in that case please stop reading this post – I will give you zero good advice). YOU signed up for a marathon, so you might as well enjoy it!

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Have fun Marathoning! Later Gators!

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Home for the Holidays Virtual 10k Results and Winners

Bo and I are currently en route to Cozumel! I have received multiple emails about links to Virtual 10k stories and the results! Therefore, without further ado, I share this post! See you in Cozumel!

We are so  happy to report that the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K was a big success!!  The three of us had a blast putting it together and participating in this race.  We had an even better time listening to all of your stories and checking out your fun holiday costumes.  We definitely want to make this an annual event and hope that all of you will participate.

In addition, we want to thank Aaron, Stephanie’s husband, for all his help on this Virtual 10K. He has spent hours making sure the technology behind the scenes and has gone flawless for this. We could not have done it without him!

You can check out the full album of holiday pictures here.  There are some really amazing and creative pictures and costumes.  We loved them all.  So glad people really got into the spirit and made some time to run for fun during the holiday weekend. Ashley will continue updating the page as she receives more pictures. Feel free to tag yourself, share the page, or your story! Below are just a few of the festive pictures we received!

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We received a ton of stories from people.  People from over 40 states and multiple countries participated in the event and told us all about how they went out in the snow or heat, rain or shine to run this race (if you ran from a different country, we really appreciate you running & are so sorry we can’t enter you in the sweepstakes).  While some ran solo, others were able to find camaraderie with their friends, family, or even their pets.  For some this was your first virtual race or even better your first 10K.   Regardless of the conditions, we were so happy to have you join in the fun and congratulations on finishing the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K.

My husband broke out the sidewalk chalk and constructed an actual start and finish line on the bike path behind our home.

It was snowing pretty hard the whole time but it was very beautiful. I’m pretty sure I was the only soul outside on the streets the entire time.

First off, I totally am thankful and grateful for being able to do this.  At this point in reclaiming my health I have only run as far as 4 miles.  Today I managed the full 10K, talking walking breaks where I needed them.

Many of you sent us your stories, we loved reading them and hearing all about your adventures. If you sent us your stories in blog format, we have posted them below and we are always happy to add more:

The Middle of the Pack, My Running Journey

Nerd on the Run

Lindsay on the Go

Run in Boise

MCM Mama

The Little JBird

Running Loving Living

Fitting it all in

Running with Perseverance

(Just) Trying is for Little Girls

In her Bare Feet

Anna’s Adventures

Running with the Girls

Dare You To

Keep on Keeping on

Moms Running it

Cows and Lasers and Everything Else

Running (Kello)meters

Idle Hide

Fitness NYC

321 Delish

One More Time With Feeling

Shiawase Life

Another Dumb Adventure

Fitting It All In

Fannetastic Food

Outlaw Runs

Carrots ‘n’ Cake

Runners Kitchen

Run Shop Travel

 

The Studly Runner
Mommy Are You Going for a Run
Crazy Running Legs
Mommy Run Fast
Joyce Goes for a Run

Many more of you sent us snippets of your stories as well, bloggers and non-bloggers alike.  If you are not on this list, we are so sorry.  Please email us and we are happy to link to your post on your Virtual 10K recap.  Thank you again for sending us your stories.  We tried to find the best way to put them together.  This is the best way we found.  We had so many more stories as well but it was hard to put them all in, we apologize. They were all amazing.

Ok now to the stuff you have all been waiting for….

First off, results – check it out here.  They are really impressive! We cannot believe how speedy and determined you all are.  Congrats again.

Second, the costumes were amazing! It was hard to really make a choice. Thank you everyone for really getting into the spirit. We loved them all and wish everyone could win. We could not pick just one, so we picked two – we could not help ourselves. Congrats to:

 
Kelly won a Five Bamboo Crop Leggings

 
Harmony from Keep On Keeping On
Harmony won a Five Bamboo Hoodie

Finally, here are our winners.  There are a lot, so search carefully. We did not want to put up last names. We are hoping there are no duplicates. I will be emailing all of you to ensure that you are the correct winners. So look out for the email to come!

 Once again, we hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and thank you so much again for participating. It was great to find all these new runners and bloggers and have a full new list of people to follow and read up on 🙂  Finally, if you are a winner, please let us know ASAP, so we can get your presents out to you.  Email 26.2runforfun@gmail.com. You have one week to collect on your winnings or we will have to choose a new winner. Please allow us some time, there are lots of winners, which is amazing but the prizes may take a little bit to get to all of you…
Early Registration Winner Brooks Running Shoes: Richelle H.

Healthy Happier Bear (Ashley): Luluemon Size 12 Run Swiftly t-shirt
Penny
Westford Mommy (Robin): $15 Itunes Gift Card
Michaela L
Run for Fun (Stephanie): Men’s Dri-Fit I Heart My Crazy Bitch from Stephanie
Paul L
Run for Fun (Stephanie): Run for Fun Bondi Band from Stephanie
Pam H
Losing Weight in the City (Theodora Blanchfield): Assorted Gu Pack
Karen C
Cross Country Cajun: $25 gift card Fleet Feet Card
Elaine H
Sparkly Soul:  Headbands (1 wide, 1 thin in holiday colors)
Lindsay J
Choose Cherries: gift pack
Jill W
Nancy C
Road ID: 1 free Road ID
Mike J
Attune Foods: 6 Month Supply of Cereal
Nicole T
Skin Sake: 6 Tubes of Skin Sake (3 winners, 2 tubes per winner)
Ashley C
Skin Sake: 6 Tubes of Skin Sake (3 winners, 2 tubes per winner)
Janine R
Skin Sake: 6 Tubes of Skin Sake (3 winners, 2 tubes per winner)
Amber H
Pretzel Crisps: 2 Cases of Pretzel Crisps (2 winners, 1 case per winner)
Molly L
Pretzel Crisps: 2 Cases of Pretzel Crisps (2 winners, 1 case per winner)
Josephine R
Chobani: 12 Pack Variety Case of Chobani (5 winners)
Sheryl J
Chobani: 12 Pack Variety Case of Chobani (5 winners)
Jill R
Chobani: 12 Pack Variety Case of Chobani (5 winners)
Izzi S
Chobani: 12 Pack Variety Case of Chobani (5 winners)
Tiffany A
Chobani: 12 Pack Variety Case of Chobani (5 winners)
Amy B
Nuun: 4 pack of Nuun with Water Bottle (4 winners)
Paula C
Nuun: 4 pack of Nuun with Water Bottle (4 winners)
Carolyn J
Nuun: 4 pack of Nuun with Water Bottle (4 winners)
Christine C
Nuun: 4 pack of Nuun with Water Bottle (4 winners)
Kimra M
Popchips: Pack of Popchips
Erika H
Bekah W
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Aleece P
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Tracey T
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Ellen G
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Amanda M
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Melissa E
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Lyndsi S
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Jennifer A
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Jen T
Tommie Cooper Beanie
JoAnn N
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Elizabeth E
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Kim R
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Stephanie G
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Anne P
Tommie Cooper Beanie
Farron McIntee
Thank you to all our amazing sponsors!! Thank you again for participating and Happy Holidays!
From Ashley

From Robin and Stephanie
 

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Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K In Pictures

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