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A Decade of Running, a Summer of Fun

I already saw everyone posting stuff about pumpkin spice pop-tarts and fall wishery out there in Instaland and shame-on-you local Starbucks for advertising cinnamon drinks to push out summer. I’m not done with summer yet okay! Maybe growing up in Indiana where I had to lay my clothes on the radiator before school, just so i’d feel warmth before trudging down the street… or as an young stupid adult would go to a tanning bed in the middle of January to defrost for 20 minutes…or when I had to literally warm up in the sauna before hitting the treadmill at the gym because the ice, snow and cold said NOPE to outdoor running. Are you really still excited for fall and winter? Just let me pout for a few seconds okay…

Hi. I’m Cori. I’m a solar powered runner. I actually kinda crave the sun and sweaty humid runs. They remind me fondly of ultra training last summer. Every run I spent in the hard-to-breathe, sweat mess was one in the bank for a faster fall race. As of now, I don’t have any fall races on the schedule. I will not be doing another marathon until Boston 2018. My fall goals rest entirely on being strong and healthy leading into spring training. This is partially due to a full fall social/weddings/things to do calendar and partially because I needed a break.

I’ve been training and racing for a decade.

A decade. Entering a fall season with no major “A” race feels… nice. I figured if a race pops up that I can enter last minute and either run for fun or use as a hard effort training day, i’ll do it. But for now i’m not putting anything on the calendar that requires 18 weeks of dedication. I’m saving that drive, that commitment, that motivation and time requirement for Boston. Trust me, i’m already antsy and ready to train. I have the running bug bad. Consider me a caged dog for a few months. Working the mental side of training until I can be released.

In the meantime, i’ve been soaking up summer with friends and family, old and new and it’s been fantastic! Here’s to the last few months, and a birthday summed up in pictures…

East side of NC…

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Sam and me at the beach, but cooling off in the kiddie pool 🙂

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West Side of NC. (Asheville Trip)

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Corepower Yoga, Bethesda, MD

Emmeline in town for chili fries, milkshakes, booze and crepes…

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Smores’ milkshake… i’d kill for another one.

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the 4th

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Erin, me and Sam

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Andrea and me in Annapolis for a day of fun…

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and an afternoon of gin & bourbon…File_000 (567)

Already hit up a couple Orioles games on beautiful days.File_000 (559)

And an all you can eat Crab Fest at a local brewery! File_000 (569)

Birthday party with my girls! Yomery and BrookeFile_000 (575)File_000 (573)

Dog days of summer, even for the cats.File_000 (560)Cake and my age.File_000 (570)

I guess fall will be good for fires… Wait did someone say smores?File_000 (446)

Ok okay… I may or may not have acquired a bib for the Marine Corps Marathon. Oops.

What was your favorite part of summer?

What races are on your schedule for the rest of 2017?

 


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Random Acts of Summerness & How to Deal With Injuries!

Mon: Rest

Tuesday: 3m easy 8:45/pace

Wednesday: 25 min legs/hips/triceps, 2m walk with LE

Man, I’m a terrible blogger. Sometimes life becomes more important than sitting at a laptop though.  Hope everyone is okay with the once in a while shesgoingthedistance.com becomes shesnotbloggingforawhile.com. 

Let’s get down to it. Summer is my favorite time of the year.. it comes with my favorite two holidays– Independence Day and my birthday.. so i’ve been extremely busy lately.

Playing board games…

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Eating too much watermelon…

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Enjoying the long nights & sunsets…

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Watching L.E. sleep…

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and growing my hair. haha

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You know, the usual. 🙂

Recently I began running again! Hooray! The IT band pain has completely cleared up and every time I run I literally tear up I’m so happy. I don’t know what it is about running that makes the day better, but i’m not gonna question it!  Here are a few tips on how to maintain fitness & keep positive during injuries!

Dealing & Working Through An Injury

1) If you’re working out and feel an “OW!” pain as opposed to a “muscle burn” pain, you should stop what you’re doing. If the pain continues, go seek a medical professional’s opinion. I trust my chiropractor, so he’s always my go-to when somethings off.

2) Figure out why you are injured. Was it a freak accident or is there a weakness to address? Whatever it is, make sure you find out how to correct & strengthen your weak areas. Strengthening & rehabbing your injured area should be your top priority while taking a break from running. If you can’t work the injured area, train the healthy areas (ex. if you have a lower body injury, train your upper body. If you have an upper body injury, train your lower half).

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3) Try and maintain fitness by cross training, pool running/rowing/cycling/elliptical/strength training, whatever you can do without causing your injured area to worsen.

4) Nutrition needs to be on point! Those extra hundreds (sometimes thousands) of calories you normally burn while running aren’t there, so step away from the pizza, ice cream & cookies. Try to focus on healing your body from the inside out & eat foods high in anti-inflammatories (berries, fish, etc.). I truly believe solid nutrition can help speed up recovery. And WATER IS KEY! Stay hydrated!

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5) Reach out to others who have been or are injured. I searched the hashtag #itbandsyndrome #ITBS #itbandinjury while on Instagram and man alive, i didn’t feel alone anymore. I felt support from a lot of runners and it made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one dealing with this problem.

6) Re-evaluate your previous training plan and try to pinpoint where it went wrong. Did you increase mileage too quickly? Were you skipping the warm ups/stretching/foam rolling? How many miles are on your shoes? This can go on and on, but usually if you review your training logs you can find a reason. My issue was just not doing enough lateral movements in my workouts, causing weak hips which couldn’t stabilize the IT band.

7) Stay positive! Most runners have small injuries that can heal in 4-12 weeks. Running is not life and death. Being sidelined for a month or two isn’t the worst thing in the world. Sure it sucks, but IT band pain, or a strained muscle is better than being in a cast or needing surgery. Use the time off to appreciate your body, appreciate your love for running and discover new ways to stay in shape!

Week of June 15th-21st Workouts

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 25 min TRX total body

Wednesday: 3m easy 8:53/pace

Thursday: 20 min stairmill

Friday: 25 min hips/hamstrings, 1500m row

Saturday: 1.8m walk

Sunday: 3.6m easy progressive 8:33/pace, 1m walk 

Total Mileage: 6.6 running, 2.8m walking

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Week of June 22nd-28th Workouts

Mon: 2.3m walk, 30 min hamstrings/shoulders

Tuesday: 3m easy 8:50/pace, 15 min lat pulldown circuit + Pushups

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 2800m row + upper body & single leg exercises + core

Friday: 3.3m progressive run 7:45/pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 5.1m walk/run easy

Total Miles: 13.75  <—moving on up!

Comment below with your tips for getting through an injury!