It’s summertime and the living is easy! Actually, while the living itself hasn’t been so bad, the running has been hard due to the oppressive heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing here in the midwest. The air has been so thick I did my miles slowly and easily this past week. I am following (as best I can) my SixCycle Training Plan that I received as a member of Team in Training for the New York City Marathon. Here’s how it all went down:
Monday: 3.3 mile run/walk
Tuesday: 3.1 mile run/walk, 14 mile bike ride
Wednesday: 6.1 mile run/walk
Thursday: 4 mile run/walk
Friday: rest day
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: 10.1 mile run/walk
Now, let’s sit down and catch up over a nice cup of Joe, shall we?
Over coffee, I’d tell you we’ve gone down the rabbit hole that is updating our outdoor living space. We had our house built 26 years ago and it’s time for a facelift. It all started with replacing our driveway and front walkway this past fall. That has now snowballed into removing all of our front landscaping (including having a 30′ spruce tree removed), taking down our above-ground pool, and dismantling our pool deck. I’d love to say we are done, but it’s only the beginning. We have the installer for the new pool coming to give us an estimate this week and another 25′ spruce coming down from our back yard after that. I repaired and replaced several tiles on our patio table yesterday and will be grouting later this afternoon. We still have redoing of the landscaping in the front and back yards, dismantling of the main deck (and then replacing both decks), and removing and replacing the fence around our back yard to go. My husband and our boys are doing all of the take-down while I am supervising and trying to figure out where the money is going to come from. Donations will be gratefully accepted at the door.
Over coffee I’d tell you that fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team in Training is going amazingly well! I am truly amazed by and ever grateful for the support I have been receiving from friends and family as well as from virtual strangers. The cash donations have been steadily coming in, but I also have raised several hundred dollars by ‘selling’ items in exchange for a tax-deductible donation to my fundraising page. I’ve created a Facebook page called “Linda’s Running Rummage Sale” where I have posted various items for sale – some running related, and some not. Why not check it out? You might find something you like! Team in Training is an awesome organization that has raised over $1.3 billion dollars toward blood cancer research in the past 30 years. I strongly encourage you to check it out, and consider joining Team in Training for your next race!
I’d tell you over coffee that part of the motivation to be more consistent in my training is that I have a ton of races coming up, including the Chicago and New York City Marathons in the fall. I really want to need to get my butt in shape by then. I know New York will be a tough race in any case, and my usual ‘no training’ M.O. isn’t going to fly.
Finally, if you need another caffeine boost, may I suggest the Double Espresso? You might have seen on Instagram and Twitter that I have been trialling energy gels from Science in Sport (also as a BibRave Pro). Right now they have a 35% off site-wide sale going on for Independence Day. Use code TRYSIS25 to get an additional 25% off of your order!
How was your week? Any big home projects going on? I’m linking up Kim at Running on the Fly and Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner for the Weekly Run Down. I’m also linking up with Deborah and Coco over at Running with Perseverance for the Ultimate Coffee Date! Be sure to visit their blogs, and check out a few of the other linkers while you’re there. You may just find a few new friends to follow!
* * * * * * * * *
On Sunday, November 3rd, I will be running the New York City Marathon as a charity fundraiser for Team in Training, an organization that helps The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) support cutting-edge research projects in the most promising areas of cancer research. If you’d like to contribute to my fundraising efforts, you can do so by clicking on the link below. Any donation, big or small, will help and is greatly appreciated! Want to join me? You can still register for the NYC Marathon as a charity fundraiser for Team in Training! Use code NYCBIBRAVE to have the $100.00 team registration fee waived (you still have to raise the require funds).
Click here or on the picture to get to my fundraising page!
Home projects really are a rabbit hole! once you fix one thing, you notice how badly something else needs fixing! Hopefully you can enjoy the fruits of your labor soon!
Now that the kids are done with college, we’re able to get some of these things done. It’s a huge chunk of change, but I can’t wait until it’s all done!
I can’t wait to hear about your experience with the online coaching!
For NYCM, I would suggest getting in at least some hill work so that your body isn’t like “WTF” come race day, lol. That’s one thing I wish I had done more before I ran that race.
The hills at NYC are my big concern. I always say even a 1% grade feels like a mountain to me. I am definitely going to heed your advice!
Dang, Linda…that is a major rabbit hole of work for your house/yard. I know that feeling, though…my hubby calls it the “might-as-well” clause, and it’s not usually a good thing LOL Good luck with all these upcoming races!! Thanks, also, for joining us on the WRD link-up 😉
It’s a lot of work (and money) but it will be so worth it in the end!
wow look at you actually training for a race and sticking to your plan! Who are you? LOL good for you! Thanks for linking up today
Now let’s not get crazy here…remember I said *sort of* ! I wasn’t that good about it at the beginning, but I am definitely kicking it into gear as race day approaches!
I can’t wait to see you tear up NYC from all that training with JW! We’re mostly done with all of our home reno (thank heavens) but we’ve still done a ton of outdoor planting this year and I know damn well we’ve got some really large pines that need to come down. Ugh!
Hilly NYC definitely has me taking things seriously (for once). After Napa to Sonoma, I am hoping to keep up with it and roll right into training for Chicago and NYC. Your weather for Tokyo coupled with the balloon ladies terrifies me, so it’s time to get serious here! With all of our outdoor projects this year, we did very little planting.
Wow, you are busy with home renovations! I am excited about your upcoming races. Hopefully it cools down enough for your long runs.
This weather has definitely been a factor. I am trying to get the miles in, even if I have to walk them!
Oh gosh home projects, always adding another thing. I’ve just spent time this morning rounding up quotes and booking stuff in. We had our garden gate taken away as it was falling apart, only to discover we need the wall repointing before we can put a gate back in. Argh!
Happy to have the company here in the rabbit hole!
We have so many possible home improvement projects – some more urgent than others.
First we need tree removed and deck stained.
Also need a new roof. Want a nEW kitchen and to re-do 2 other bathrooms.
No coach for my FIRST marathon. Just want to finish. don’t care how long it takes.
Hope we can meet up before or after. I have a hotel for Nov 2 & 3 already.
This is my first experience with coaching of any kind. I really don’t care about finish times and likely never will, but I do have some tough races coming up and having the guidance of a coach has really helped.
I keep seeing SIS. How are you liking it so far?
Good luck with the half training. That sounds like a fun one!
I like the SiS, some flavors more than others. I like the taste of the double-espresso, but I worry about all that caffeine. I will be using the salted strawberry for my half this month. It’s my favorite.
Can’t wait to see what you do with your space!
We had to have our master bath redone due to a leak and I was pretty bitter about it. I want my kitchen and living room renovated, so I am just in a holding pattern until I have a start date for those.
We also need our master bath completely gutted and redone but that is going to have to wait. So many projects, so little funds!
Oh I can so relate to the house project rabbit hole! I’m deep in my own hole with outdoor projects including having the house painted!
Great that you’re trying out an online coaching program! Good luck with your training!
We are fairly okay with the inside of our house, but our master bath needs to be gutted and completely redone. I am happy for the opportunity for the online coaching. I’ll be posting a review after my race!
It took forever for summer to arrive in Maine, but now that it has, it has been super hot & humid! I have had trouble running in the heat too. The Napa-Sonoma Half marathon sounds amazing, one of my favorite places!! I can’t wait to hear how it goes!!
We’re in the same boat with the heat and humidity here in Chicago. We had a crappy, rainy May and June and then jumped right into swampland.
Here heat and humidity rules too. I cannot wait for a workout under the rain.
Good luck on your upcoming races.
Thanks so much!
Just found your blog via the Black Knight. You’ll love the Napa-Sonoma half marathon, but you likely won’t get a break from the heat. Good luck!
Awesome! This will actually be my fourth consecutive N2S Half. I absolutely love it!