Gear Gear Gear!

Hello everyone! This week's blog comes as a request... a friend of mine suggested I write about all of the "gear" I'm using and what's keeping me warm during this cold winter... So I present to you... Ashley's favorite's list. :)

Sneakers -  I've been running in Asics GT 2000's for a few years now.  Sneakers are one of those funny things that are so personal to each person so I can't exactly "recommend" them to anyone.  They just happen to be the kicks that work best on my feet.  They are a high support shoe which I need with my history of Plantar Fasciitis and stress fractures (FUN!).  Side note... just scored a SWEET deal on a new pair from Runner's Warehouse.com.  Like my friend Krystina, I like shoes you can see from space. 

So what clothing is keeping me "warm" while I'm out there? Generally speaking I'm pretty loyal to the Under Armour brand. They know what they are doing, their stuff is comfy and for the most part within a reasonable price point.  If you ever have the time to hit one of their local outlet stores you can get some pretty amazing deals! I wear their running tights (Sometimes two pairs when it gets really cold), and their cold gear tops. One new top I grabbed this year and love is the Fly By Turtleneck. When I need neck coverage it provides just enough without being suffocating. I also have been loving my "Winter Sprinter Hoodie" from Lululemon. Super comfy, and perfect for the 30 degree days... you know... normal cold. :) 

I also grabbed myself a new jacket this year that is reflective for the times I'm running very early or late at night in the dark...  After much searching I settled on the Brooks Hi-Visibility jacket. Check it out below. You CAN'T miss me when I'm rocking this thing! It's not made for warmth, but it's roomy enough to layer underneath and be totally comfortable.  It comes as a vest as well which I might invest in as the weather gets warmer. 

Gloves. This is an interesting topic.  When running my hands can't make up their mind. Hot, cold, hot, cold... I end up ripping my gloves off and putting them back on numerous times during long runs. For the most part my thin Under Armour gloves do the trick, but with this winter being particularly cold I needed something else for those 5 degree days! Last year my Mom gave me a pair of EMS gloves that are a very thin fleece and I never used them because they were too warm.  Well this winter they have been a lifesaver. I have no idea what they are called, but they are the EMS brand and will save your hands if you are running in weather like me :)

Miscellaneous stuff... I have a Nathan water belt that works just fine but I hardly ever use. (My team sets up water stops for our long runs). But once the Marathon is over I bet I will be using it more. My arm band for my iPhone is also by Nathan and it's done the trick up until now but it's starting to drive me NUTS on longer runs. So I'm going to start using my little iPod shuffle for tunes and I'm in the market for a GPS watch so I can keep an eye on my mileage.  I don't really need anything fancy so I'm eyeing the Garmin Forerunner 10.  It's got the great Garmin name behind it, but it's their entry level watch and will only set me back $130. I'll probably be picking it up this weekend to try for my... gulp.... 18 miler.

Nutrition. I've come to LOVE chocolate milk for my post run drink. Who knew it was the perfect refreshment following a long run?! During runs my team gives us Gatorade and water and I basically go back and forth between the two.  As far as GU is concerned... well... I hate it. It's a texture thing. Last weekend I tried the GU Chews and they were a little better but not great.  So if anyone has any recommendations for different brands to try I'd be interested to hear them!

 = GROSS 

I think that's it! Hope this wasn't super boring... if you have gear that you LOVE comment below, I love trying out new stuff. (as my wallet permits haha)

76 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897

Sweet 16

I hope this entry finds everyone well! I hit a big milestone in my training this past weekend that I'm super excited about...

SIXTEEN MILES!!!!!!!!!! That's right. I ran (jogged? lol) 16 miles this past Saturday with the team.  That officially marks my longest run ever since my longest races have been half marathons.  It was a struggle for sure and I'm still hurting two days later, but still really psyched that I did it.  It was exactly the pick me up I needed.  Over the month of January I fell behind on training slightly due to the ridiculously cold weather we have had up here.  I'm totally OK with bundling up for a cold run but when the water in your hydration belt freezes during your run.... well... it's too cold.  And while I tried to log some miles in on the treadmill it just isn't the same.

Anyone who knows me knows that if you give me a schedule I HAVE to follow it exactly or else I get all anxious about it.  Talking it through with my team helped a lot... all of them agree that while the schedule is the optimum way to train, missing a day here and there is not going to ruin the Marathon experience.  I'm trying to take that to heart and learn to go with the flow a little better. I guess that's the mission for the next few months :)

Let's see what else is new... I've spent the last two weeks writing down every single thing I eat to show my nutritionist. (In a spreadsheet of course haha). I have my next appointment with her on Wednesday and I'm really excited to show her my food journal and see what she has to say.  I'm hoping she has some suggestions about how to fuel my body for this race.

I had a really successful fundraiser over the weekend.  Some of my most talented friends and myself put on a concert in RI with all of the proceeds going to my fundraising goal... Proud to say that I was able to raise $800! I'm in the beginning stages of planning another fundraiser.. this time with my band Walkin' The Line up in the Boston area.  I'm hoping to make it a huge party so stay tuned for more news on that.

I'm off... time to get in the pool for some laps.

84 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897

It's Too Cold.

It's too cold. That is the theme of this week's training.

Let's see... I left off last week talking about how I had a 13 mile run coming up with the team over the weekend.  Well needless to say that didn't happen.  There were a few brave (crazy) souls who set out on the team run Saturday morning but most of us opted to do it on our own later in the day...  The temp outside at 8am was zero degrees with a -20 wind chill! That just didn't seem safe to me.  I actually ended up doing my long run the next day... Sunday was a balmy 30 degrees... stuff on the streets and sidewalk was melting away... it just seemed like the better day!

Well, that Sunday I had my first "bad run" of the year. It was awful. If you are a runner you know what I mean... from the first step it just feels awful... like you can't do it... every mile is a chore.  I knew right off the bat I wasn't going to make 13 miles, so when I hit the 5 mile mark I turned around and headed back to my car... 10 miles seemed good enough considering the circumstances.

It was the first time I actually question myself for setting out to do this.  Plenty of people have told me I'm nuts... and a few have even said "You're not ready, you shouldn't be running a race of this magnitude yet", and I've always been able to brush those comments off with lot's of self confidence.  I'm going to take everyone's advice and not let that run get to me... we all have bad days right?!

The rest of this week has been spent training on the treadmill due to the extreme cold... have I mentioned how much I HATE the treadmill?? Hamster on a wheel, that's all I have to say. haha. I'm headed to hot yoga tonight which will probably feel even more awesome then usual!

This coming Saturday the team has a 14.5 mile run.  This is a big deal because (If I make it the whole way) it will be the longest distance I have ever run. Ever. Pretty cool... I'm hoping to make it happen, but also preparing to not beat myself up if it doesn't.  The ultimate goal for this whole journey is to get to the starting line in Hopkinton and of course the FINISH LINE on Boylston Street.  So I'm going to make sure I listen to my body so I can get there injury free.

Don't forget to donate below, every dollar counts!!!

PS. Three cheers for 40 degrees this weekend!


109 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897

Happy Holiday Running

Ooops... it's been awhile since I updated this! Been so busy over Christmas and New Years that I started to slack!

Training during the holiday break has been a dream come true! No need to get my miles in before the sun comes up or after the sun goes down because I've been on a two week vacation from work. It's going to be tough going back on Monday that's for sure. During the week of Christmas I got a few 4 - 6 mile runs in in Bristol RI... the bike path is a beautiful place to run.. I didn't even mind the cold so much because the ocean views made me so happy :)

I have to admit I missed a few days over the last few weeks... I can make every excuse in the book but bottom line is I should have made the time.  This Saturday's long run is 13 miles... (A freaking half marathon!) and I'm hoping my missed runs don't affect me. If they do it's my own fault, but I plan on powering through! I've also been bad about making time for my twice a week yoga class and I can feel it starting to affect me, so I guess my New Year's resolution is to get back on track. Real original lol.

I haven't talked much about diet on this blog but thought I would touch upon it this week. It's no secret that one of my goals with this marathon is to drop a few pounds in the process, and figuring out the right diet to follow has been tricky. My first few weeks I ate my normal 1300 cals a day and felt super sluggish. Over the holiday it was the opposite problem... nothing but food and drinks as far as the eye could see, and that also made me feel super sluggish! When I got back from RI I was craving fish and veggies so badly that it's basically all I ate for a few days and I felt much better.  Now that I'm back on track the trick is to find the right balance. I want to be giving my body the fuel it needs to be running 30 - 40 miles a week... but I'd also like to lose some weight.  My acupuncturist recommended a nutritionist he often works with so I'm in the process of making an appointment with her.  Here's hoping she can help guide me in the right direction! If I learn any fun tips and tricks I will share them here of course.

Luckily today is a cross training day so I don't have to battle the snow outside in order to run :)  I'll let you all know how Saturday goes!

PS. I'm trying to kick my fundraising into high gear this month... click on the link below to donate!

PPS. I also got LOTS of running and yoga gear from Santa this year. 2 new jackets, some hats, new base layer gear to keep me warm... Santa is a good guy.

109 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897

Nine Miles. Nine Degrees.

Well it’s been quite a busy week in marathon training land!  Every Saturday the MS Marathon team holds a long team run and last week was my first run with the team.  9 miles in 9 degree weather. Delightful.  On Friday night I had a gig with WTL at Toby Keith’s in Foxboro, so it was already going to be a struggle to get up early the next day and run.  I decided not to drink at the gig… got some interesting looks from the guys lol, but in the end I think it helped.  I woke up Saturday feeling tired but otherwise fine.  Then I pulled up the weather on my iPhone and saw this.

Christ.  This would certainly give my winter running gear a run for its money! I got to Forever Fit in Newton and met up with the team.  I decided to give myself a little bit of head start knowing that I was slower than most of the team and set out on the route that Coach Karen had mapped out for us.  We actually got to run a little bit of the Boston Marathon route and got a taste of the Newton hills which was cool! Down route 16, left on Walnut street, then left on Comm ave and run till you get to BC.  Turn around.. run back. Whew.  As expected I’m the slow poke of the team, but I’ve decided I’m ok with that… just going to keep working hard and not let it bother me that I was getting passed left and right. Haha.  And my team is the best… I got so many high fives and “thatta girls” along the way, I couldn't help but feel motivated.

From the waist up I was toasty warm but for that kind of weather I have to revisit what I wear for bottoms.  My Under Armour leggings did not cut it.. I literally felt like I had two icicles for legs and when I showered later it burned like HELL to let water hit them… almost like I had wind burn or something.

This Saturday will be 10 miles.. my first double digit run since October of 2012 at the Amica Half Marathon in Newport. Weather is looking positively balmy (hello 40 degrees!) so I’m excited!

123 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897

Happy Training, Week 1

Well.. it's Wednesday and I'm halfway through the first "Official" week of training.  Meaning instead of making up workouts as I go, I'm now following the team training schedule provided to me by Coach Karen. Coach set us up with two options... a novice schedule and an intermediate schedule.  I'm opting to follow novice because A) This is my first marathon, and B) I don't have a specific "time goal" to finish by... I simply want to finish and stay injury free.

Last week I was able to take an amazing trip to Key Biscayne for my Uncle's 70th birthday. (Thank you Uncle Tom and Aunt Kathy!)  The beach, cocktails, and overall relaxation was exactly what I needed before my training started... it sort of felt like a last hurrah before my life becomes totally consumed :)

   

Basically my training schedule consists of three shorter runs each week, two cross training days, one day of rest (THANK GOD) and one long run with the team.  I've decided my cross training days will be spent swimming... I just love my time in the pool... and then when I have additional time I'll try to get some yoga in or some weight training.  My goal is to attend at least one yoga class a week. It's good for me on so many levels!  So this week looks like this.

Monday - 4 miles
Tuesday 5 miles
Wednesday - Cross train
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - REST
Saturday - 9 miles with the MS Team
Sunday - Cross train

So far I've been doing well. The weather really tested me this week... first two runs of the week were in sleet and snow.  I really have to find better winter running clothes. That is the mission for this weekend I think. And maybe Santa will bring me some too.

I'm super excited for my first team run but I'm also a little nervous.  I'm always plagued by negative thoughts. What if I can't do the full 9 miles, what if I'm the slowest one on the team, what if I don't make any friends on the team.  But as my wise friend Krystina said while I was venting to her.. "Just do it".  She's like a Nike commercial. ha. But she is right! I'm going to just do it, and try not to care about all those silly things that don't matter. It's going to be a GREAT 9 miles. (repeat in head over and over).

I'll update you all again while I'm icing on the couch come Sunday afternoon :)

Don't forget! I'm running to support the National MS Society and any donation is greatly appreciated! Please help me get to my goal of $4,000 by clicking on the link below!

131 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Oooops! Official Marathon training hasn't even started yet and I'm already slacking on my blog! I'll blame it on family time and Thanksgiving taking up all my time over the last week :)

Can't remember what I did exactly for training last week but I know it included a few short runs, some swims and definitely some yoga! I also had my first team meeting with the MS Marathon Team which was AWESOME! I am so lucky to be running with so many inspiring people.  And FYI, our coach is an Ironman Winner at the World Championships in Kona. Ummmm hello badass!  Our training schedule comes out sometime this week and Saturday morning long runs start next weekend. This is getting real fast!

I've been on vacation all of Thanksgiving week and was lucky enough to spend it down in Rhode Island with family and friends.  Diet was of course going to be a challenge this week (although I did better than expected) so I wanted to make sure I was on top of my workouts.

Monday: 4 mile run along the beautiful East Bay Bike Path in Bristol. I feel so spoiled when I get to run at home in Bristol.... talk about some beautiful scenery! This was my first REALLY cold run on the year, and I have to say... running along the ocean may be beautiful but damn it was windy. I felt like I was moving backwards on the way back haha.  I spent the rest of the afternoon with Dad putting up the Christmas lights... I think climbing up and down that ladder counts as a workout as well :)

Tuesday: Another 4 mile run, this time I took a right turn into Colt State Park.  Again... gorgeous. I was lucky to grow up in such a beautiful place.

Wednesday started out fantastic!  Managed to convince my Mom to come with me to her first yoga class in 20 years. She claimed to hate yoga... hey, that sounds familiar!  But I thought it would be good for her to try.  It was the perfect class... Mostly beginners and the teacher moved nice and slow. She admitted to enjoying herself afterwards! Thanks to the Bristol Yoga Studio... you made 6:30AM yoga enjoyable :)

Later on Wednesday I got a totally different workout... Dolly (my cat) escaped my parents house at some point on Wednesday morning and we didn't realize it till later in the afternoon.  I must have walked 6 miles around my neighborhood over and over again looking for her.  Long story short, she came back from her little adventure when she was ready and all is well. Unfortunately it lead to a little stress eating on my part... hellllooo wine and cheese.

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! I had every intention of going for a morning run before the big meal but I just ran out of time. But it was a wonderful day and a fantastic meal with my parents and my aunts.  I was pretty proud of myself at dinner... I had a taste of everything, but was really careful about portions. I left the dinner table satisfied but not "stuffed".  That was a win!  We closed the evening with our tradition of watching National Lampoon Christmas Vacation with everyone. I have probably seen it 20 times and I still laugh out loud!

Cooking with butter is fun! 

Friday: HOLY shit. So my Mom started working out with a trainer once a week at her gym named Adriana. She was kind enough to let my Mom bring me along for Friday morning's weekly workout. First off, Adriana is awesome, and I would love to work out with her again.  Two days later and I am still sore!!! Here is what we did after a 20 minute warm up run on the treadmill.

• Walking lunges across the gym holding 2 kettlebells
• 10 Burpees
• Walking lunges back
• 20 Walk Down Planks
• 20 Flutter Kicks
• 20 Kettlebell Swings
• Side shuffle across the gym and back
• 20 Reverse Pushups
• 20 squats with Kettlebell

Repeat that sequence 3 times.

Yeah. I'm sore. hahaha. But it was great and gave me some new ideas for strength training.  And I was so proud of my Mom! I have never seen her do a workout like that before and she completed the whole thing. Pretty awesome.

Saturday: Ugly Sweater Run!!!!!! A few weeks ago I signed up for the Ugly Sweater 5K in Boston and today was the day.  My cousin Amie and I went shopping for our sweaters a few weeks ago and let me tell you... we found some ugly ones haha. This was a really fun, laid back run.  No timing chips, and the water stops were hot chocolate stops!  We got to run through some really fun Christmas decorations and just looking at everyone else's outfits was fun. I got to meet Amie's BF Dan and their friend Heather, and they were both super nice. We finished the race, enjoyed our free beer and then Dan suggested we head over to R.F.O Sullivan and Sons for their famous burgers. OMG. Probably one of the best burgers I've ever had. It was a great call.

Best Ugly Sweater Team Ever!!

Helllooooo delicious reward. 

Today is Sunday... I'm supposed to be running in another 5K in Boston (Yulefest) but it's shitty out and my legs are dead so I picked up my t shirt and I'm skipping out on this one.  I'm bummed but I need to make sure my body stays healthy with all the stress I'll be putting it through over the next few months.  I think today will be all about relaxing and pulling out the Christmas decorations.

Sorry this one was so long, I'll do better this week! Thanks for reading :)

141 days....

xoxo
Ash

"We choose to run for those who sometimes can't."

I am running the 2014 Boston Marathon on the Marathon Strides Against MS Team! To make a donation to help end Multiple Sclerosis please visit my personal fundraising page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=12612971&pg=personal&fr_id=22897