running

Boston

by Lisa on April 16, 2013

The Boston Marathon has always been magical to me. Do you know who Uta Pippig is? I do. Growing up, that’s what we did on Patriots Day, we watched the Marathon. Not the Boston Marathon, THE Marathon. When I was a kid, I didn’t know any other marathon existed. I watched the elite runners yesterday on streaming coverage with my heart racing and on the edge of my seat. You just never know what’s going to happen or how the race will end. No matter what, it is always exciting.

As I was watching the elites, I thought two things: 1) I am so inspired and 2) I cannot wait to take my kids to watch the finish someday. I have taken some time off from running in the past couple of years to start a family and deal with injury, but in my heart I am a runner and I will race again. I would love to run Boston, but I know I will not have the time to train enough to qualify, and that’s okay. Boston is special and it always will be for me, even if I don’t have the opportunity to race it.

I am angry and I am outraged that someone did this in the city that I love so much, at a race I have admired my entire life. But I know Boston, and I know Boston won’t let this person win. Next year, the celebration will be bigger, more people will pack the streets and the spirit of the Marathon will go on.

I love that dirty water. Boston, you’re my home.

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My Fitness Bucket List

by Lisa on June 22, 2012

When I was in my twenties and running, I was always training for a race or looking for the next thing to conquer.  Half marathons, 10Ks, Ten Milers, 5Ks, sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, I kept on racing.  Then life happened and it has been three years since I raced.  And I am staring down the age of 32.  Or as I like to think of it, the third anniversary of my 29th birthday :-D .

Becoming a FitFluential Ambassador was part of my effort to reclaim a bit of myself that I’ve lost in the past few years.  Becoming a mom, especially a working mom, has completely changed my life and the way I spend my time.  My old hobbies have been pushed to the back burner and Caroline has become my focus.

Recently I’ve realized that I need to maintain some sense of my identity aside from being Caroline’s mom.  Being a mom is a huge part of my identity, but it isn’t the whole of it. I’m still a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and I still have interests and hobbies aside from my baby girl.  I’ve finally come to understand that it doesn’t mean I love her any less or that I am not a good mother; it’s okay, if not beneficial, to maintain my own identity.

FitFluential Ambassadors were asked to put together a Fitness Bucket List and it made perfect sense to me to create a list of goals I would like to achieve in this area of my life.  After all, I may be a working mom, but I am also a runner, a triathlete and a person who enjoys staying fit.  So far, here’s my #FitnessBucketList:

  • Buy a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and try barefoot/minimalist running {after reading Born to Run (affiliate link), I am pretty convinced this will solve my knee issues}
  • Run the Army Ten Miler {it’s on the calendar!}
  • Run the Marine Corps Marathon {I’ve started training twice and had to stop twice due to injury}
  • Race a half Ironman triathlon
  • Attend Bikram yoga classes on a regular basis
  • Try Crossfit
  • Coach Girls on the Run, so that when Caroline is old enough to participate, I can be there with her.

I expect my Fitness Bucket List will grow with time and as I am able to increase my activity.  Working and breastfeeding make it hard to fit in fitness, though I strive to do it as much as I can.

Make sure you follow me on Pinterest to see what I add to my Fitness Bucket List!

What’s on your fitness bucket list? Spill it!

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Stroller Running

by Lisa on May 29, 2012

Running with a stroller was never something I thought I would do. If you had told my pre-pregnant self that after the baby was born, I would prefer running with a stroller to running without, I would have thought you were crazy.

But, that’s exactly what has happened.  For the past three and a half months, with the exception of one run, every run I’ve done has been with Caroline.  I missed her during my first solo run. It was a bad run because I wasn’t pushing the stroller.  Don’t get me wrong, stroller running is hard but for me, it is so much more fun.  When I take Caroline with me, I’m not just pushing her around, I’m interacting with her. I don’t have a running partner but I do have my 9.5-month-old sidekick who loves to talk.  Her babbling keeps me entertained the entire time.  When we approach a hill, I tell her about it and how I feel.  I tell her if I think we can make it the whole way without a walk break or if I’m feeling a bit sluggish.  I push myself harder because my daughter is with me.  I talk to her like we’re running together, as I hope some day we will. 

Instead of thinking of the stroller as a hindrance slowing me down, I use it to my advantage.  I seek out hills and push the 24 pound stroller {with a 19+ pound baby in it} up the hill at a steady pace.  My triceps burn by the time we get to the top.  My workout time is very limited so if I can squeeze an upper body workout into my run, I will.

The downside?  It still feels strange to me to hold on to something and keep my arms stationary while running, but I’m getting used to it.  I take more walk breaks than I would like, my pace is certainly slower and if someone gets sick of being in the stroller, I have to cut my run short. 

For me, all of the benefits far outweigh the downside.  I’m so glad I gave stroller running a chance.  I plan to do the majority of my training runs for the Army Ten Miler with Caroline; hopefully it will make me even faster on race day.  Now that I have been running with Caroline, I don’t really want to run without her.  I look forward to lacing up my shoes and heading out on a run with Caroline as often as possible.

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Setting My Sights: The Army Ten Miler

by Lisa on May 16, 2012

It has been years since I ran a race.  Literally, years.  The last race I participated in was the New Jersey State Triathlon in July 2009.

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Now that I’m running again, I really wanted a race to work towards.  In the DC area we have more than enough races to choose from ranging from 5Ks to marathons.  There are 3 ten milers in the area that are very popular: The Cherry Blossom, The GW Parkway Classic and The Army Ten Miler.  I would love to complete all three of these hometown races.  I ran The Cherry Blossom in 2006.  The GW Parkway Classic just happened in April.  The Army Ten Miler is coming up in October.  Registration opened today.

So what did I do? I signed up for The Army Ten Miler! I am really excited that I have a race to work towards.  Granted, the race is in October, it’s only May and I won’t start training for it until August, but I am still excited.  Having been away from the racing scene for almost three years seems crazy to me and I can’t wait to get back into it.

In the mean time, I’m going to keep running with Caroline, fitting in fitness wherever I can and run a few shorter races before October.

Who else is running the Army Ten Miler? 

I think I’ll plan a meet up for bloggers and readers participating in the race, please send me an e-mail at thesplatteredapron {at} gmail {dot} com if you want to be included!

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I Went To Boot Camp

by Lisa on April 29, 2012

For the past eight weeks, I’ve been participating in Tina Reale’s Best Body Boot Camp.  Due to some nagging knee issues, I worked with Tina on an individual plan but still benefited from the support of the 300+ boot camp participants.

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Large part of the reason that I signed up for boot camp was to have some structure to follow to work out.  When left to my own devices, I’ll often find many excuses not to work out.  Especially now that I’m a working mom and my time is not as much my own as it used to be.

In fact, for the past two weeks I have struggled to fit in my workouts.  I barely did any cardio and only focused on weights. This past week, I hardly did anything at all.

For me, sometimes taking a break is good. Removing an item from my to do list for a day is sometimes necessary to keep me sane.  The thing is, when I don’t work out, I miss the benefits.  I can thank boot camp for reminding me about that.

Participating in boot camp made me remember how much I enjoy being physically active—that’s easy to forget when you take 15 months off.  It gave me the motivation I needed to lace up my shoes and go for a run again.  It drove me downstairs after dinner to do weight and circuit workouts.  I honestly loved every second of it.

Boot camp reminded me that even though my priorities have shifted, I still need to put my health at the top of the list. 

I’m not going to beat myself up if I miss a run or a workout every now and then. I have enough working mom guilt in my life, I don’t need to pile on more. 

I am so grateful to Tina for seeing a need for boot camp and filling it.  I’m grateful that she gave me my motivation back.  My muscles are more defined, my body is toning up and I have more energy, thanks to Tina. 

For me, boot camp provided a great foundation and now it’s up to me to build on that foundation going forward.  I’m excited to see where this will take me, hopefully back to racing, maybe even more triathlons, when Caroline is older.  My plan is to use my blog as a way to hold myself accountable and keep my focus on fitness.  I hope you’ll enjoy coming along for the ride.  {Don’t worry, I will still be sharing recipes.  Delicious recipes.}

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