Accountability Monday: 9/18/17

Good morning! How is it already mid-September already?!

It'll be winter before we know it! ❄❄❄ Speaking of winter... some exciting news- I got asked to be on the Cold Conqueror Team again for winter 2017/2018! I'll be partnering with Yaktrax and some other awesome brands to review the coolest winter running products right here on the blog. Luckily, we still have a few more weeks before it gets cold here in the mid-Atlantic and I'm really looking forward to my next fall race- in peak leaf-changing season!

In just four-ish weeks, I'll be toeing the line of four races in Bethlehem, PA as part of the Runner's World Half & Festival weekend. I'm signed up for the Grand Slam- trail run Friday, 5k and 10k on Saturday, half marathon on Sunday. Wanna come run with me? Use code "SPARKLYRUNNER" at checkout to save 10% on any race registration! 

Check out all this bling! ✨

Training
Tuesday: 3 miles of speed work, 33:16 overall, 11:04 pace
Sunday: 3.56 miles, 41:48 overall, 11:38 pace

Can you tell that I've still been insanely busy at work? I have almost zero time- or energy- during the week to run. However, having a training journal again has helped me feel a bit more accountable. I like that I can write something in it everyday, even on rest days. It helps me feel more in control of my training and my nutrition.

Best Run
The speed work session I did on Tuesday was pretty awesome. I made up my own workout- easy run warm-up, 30 seconds all out sprint, 2.5 minutes of easy run, 30 seconds all out sprint, repeat- for three miles. During the sprints, I was running as low as a 5:55/mile pace! My legs definitely felt it the next day, especially coming off last week's Harrisburg Half Marathon.

I also got to try out a new pair of Altra Paradigm 3.0's as part of the Runner's World Half Run Crew Program. Two years ago, the Paradigms were the first pair of Altras I'd ever tried so I was excited to get another pair of the newest model to try out. We sent all our information to Altra (injury history, shoe preference, size, etc.) last week and they sent us a pair of shoes on Monday. It was super fun not knowing what shoes I was getting- kind of felt like Christmas morning!

I took the Altra Paradigm's out for speed work and they reminded me why I fell in love with the Altra brand in the first place- so cushion-y and responsive- I felt like I was bouncing along during my run. I will definitely be rotating these in with my beloved Olympus during the next few weeks of training.

Even the neighborhood kids agree, these @altrarunning Paradigm 3.0's are out of this world! So heavenly 😍😍😍 Took these out for three miles of speed work tonight and I remembered why the Paradigm was the shoe that made me fall in love with Altra. ❤❤❤

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Sep 12, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT

Bravo Moment
I LOST WEIGHT THIS WEEK!

After what has felt like forever without a weight loss, I finally saw the scale move down! This is definitely the most motivated I have felt in a while- I'm looking forward to seeing more of this in the coming weeks.

This felt as good as losing 10 pounds ☺

Quote of the Week

truth.

Have a wonderful Monday and a great week!

Accountability Monday: 9/11/2017

Hi, friends! I hope Monday is being kind to you!

Please excuse my absence for the last two weeks; our semester started on August 28th and since then I've worked over 60 hours of overtime. Yikes. Because work is so busy, it's hard to me to find the time to blog. But, things should start to calm down here soon so there will hopefully be more posts in the near future.

Training
Sunday- Harrisburg Half Marathon, 2:35:53 (unofficial time)

Whoops, I probably should be doing more running if I'm actually supposed to be training for fall races! This week was nuts with crazy overtime hours and other commitments and I just didn't make the time for any running or strength training. But, I did run my third-fastest half marathon and didn't feel too awful afterward. I've got five weeks until Runner's World Half & Festival and I intend on making them count. The older I get, the less my training goals revolve around time and the more they revolve around how I feel during/after the race.

Best Run
Well, that would have to be yesterday's half... since I didn't run any other times last week. Ha! The half marathon was awesome- great weather, new scenic course, and a great spread of food after the race. Matthew did awesome and got a great qualifying time for Dopey in January. After the race, we went to one of our favorite breweries to get a little food (basically a giant soft pretzel) and some celebratory beers. Nothing makes a run better than a cold beer at the end. :-)

Because running. 🍻

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Sep 10, 2017 at 9:20am PDT

Bravo Moment of the Week
As you know, I've been struggling with my weight and lack of training pretty much since last spring. One of the techniques we use in Weight Watchers is to look back at a time when you were being successful with weight loss and try to recreate that helpful environment.

I was in the best shape of my life in May 2015, when I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon. I had been training consistently, fueling appropriately, and was at my lowest weight while also feeling super strong. One of the things that I did differently was keeping a written journal of all my training. Back in 2015, my sweet friend Stephanie sent me the Believe Journal after my stress fracture as a way to track my comeback. And man, did it work like a charm!

However, once it was filled (it holds about a year), I never bought another one. So this week, I ordered a brand new journal and will make my first entry today. My hope is that by manually writing and tracking my training, I'll be motivated to stay on plan and reach the goals I have set for myself. And, fingers crossed, lose the weight that I've gained.

a fresh start.

Quote of the Week

Persist in the pursuit of your goals this week, friends! Have a great week!

Accountability Monday: 8/28/2017

Good morning and welcome to fall semester 2017! 😜

For those of you in college or with a kid in college or who work at a college, the end of August marks the beginning of a new academic year. For me, this means I worked a crazy amount of hours over the last week and weekend as we welcomed in a new class of first-year students. I am thankful the semester officially starts today and I will soon get into a routine with regular work hours.

Training
Friday: 10 miles, 2:07:03, 12:42 overall pace
Saturday: 3.36 miles, 39:31, 11:47 overall pace
Sunday: Runner's World Core Workout

Holy shit, friends. That RW Core Workout is NO JOKE!  I like to think I'm reasonably in shape (I mean, I ran 13 miles this weekend!) but this 20 minute routine had me feeling like I'd never worked out in my life. That means it's working, right?!

Best Run
Friday night's 10 miles were solid. Really, truly, solid. The weather was perfect and the trail was absolutely beautiful. I felt strong and healthy, unlike how I've felt most of this summer. Here's hoping this is a good omen for fall racing season.

Ten date night miles with the hubs. Felt 💯 times better than last weeks' long run. 🌅🌾🏃

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Aug 25, 2017 at 7:19pm PDT

Bravo Moment
Through all the activities at work this weekend, with lots of access to college campus food (cookies, brownies, and long hours on my feet, I stuck to my food plan and only ended up -5 with weekly Smart Points. Oh yeah, and I ran 10 freaking miles on a Friday night before a 14 hour Saturday at work! 😎

Quote of the Week
Man, this one speaks to me on so many levels. I feel like sometimes I wait too long to take advantage of opportunities and my "ship" leaves without me. So this week, let's just get to swimming. 👊

Also, congratulations to Tammy S. for winning my Runner's World Half & Festival race entry giveaway! Don't forget, you can save 10% on any race registration by using the code "SPARKLYRUNNER" at check out. Hope to see you on the race course in October!


Have a great week, friends!

Accountability Monday: 8/21/17

Good morning, friends! I hope you had a great weekend full of all the things you love!

The end of August always is a very hectic time for me at work- all our students return on Wednesday so this week/weekend is full of planning welcome events and then executing them.

The end of August is also a very celebrative time as Matthew's birthday is tomorrow! And this year's he's celebrating a very special year... he'll be 40 years young in just a few hours :-)

Happy birthday, Matthew!

Training
Tuesday: 30 minutes, 2.42 miles
Friday: Squats, lunges, and dead lifts per this workout from Women's Running- 2 sets of 10 reps each
Saturday: 7 miles on the trail, 1:32:16, 13:10 pace with negative splits

So maybe doing squats and lunges the night before running the longest you've run in three months isn't the greatest idea? Yeah, I've been struggling to sit down/stand up for two days. LOL.

Best Run
Even though my quads were trashed, and sometimes I felt like death, Saturday's long run was still awesome. I've got nine miles on tap for this weekend- but this time I won't do any squats the night before. :-)

Bravo Moment
I ran the last mile of Saturday's long run in my sports bra because it was 80 damn degrees outside and we were running in full sun. I was a little self-conscious as I don't have the typical "runner's body" of someone who might be comfortable running in just a sports bra in public. But like I said, it was so damn hot that I got over my fear and just went for it. And it was much, much cooler without my tank!

Quote of the Week
This really resonated with me this week. Part of being more mindful is accepting where I am, rather than where I "used" to be- and if I'm currently in the midst of the "struggle" then maybe I need to accept it, learn from it, and help it motivate me to be where I want to be.

Don't forget! You can still enter my giveaway to get a FREE race entry to the Runner's World Half & Festival! The giveaway runs until 8/23 and you can tweet every day to get more entries! 

RW Half & Festival: Come Run With Me!

The Runner's World Half & Festival holds a very, very special place in my heart. The beautiful city of Bethlehem, the changing leaves and perfect running weather in October, the super cool expo speakers, the opportunity to meet and run with editors from Runner's World...  it all adds up to one awesome running weekend.

Photo credit: Runner's World

But I've actually never even run any of the races during the RW Half & Festival Weekend! So, how can I love a race so much when I've never crossed the starting line? Let's rewind to October 2014....

If you've been a long-time reader of this blog, then you know I suffered a second metatarsal stress fracture in September 2014 and was on a knee scooter/non-weight bearing for seven long, torturous weeks. I missed several races that fall and winter- one of which was the "Hat Trick" at RW Half & Festival. I was supposed to run the 5k and 10k on Saturday and then the half on Sunday. Instead, I found myself cheering on lots of friends, volunteering at the expo, and stalking Bart Yasso all weekend 😊

And I had an AWESOME time! Even though I couldn't run, I still got to chat with Runner's World editors/staff, hang out in between races with friends, and just enjoy the atmosphere of a weekend catered to runners of all levels.

We met Mandy for the first time this weekend!

Then in 2015, I returned to Bethlehem, not to run, but to cheer on several runners/friends that were in town to run the race. The steel stacks are only two hours from my home so I couldn't not make the trip to see Dani (Weight Off My Shoulders), Linzie (Sharp Endurance), Jenna (This Princess Runs For Sparkle) and Kristin (Bama Girl Runs) who had traveled from all over the country/state for the races!

❤❤❤

So, is it any surprise that I am SO EXCITED to head back to Bethlehem this fall and actually get to run the "Grand Slam" as part of the RW Half & Festival Run Crew?! I literally cannot wait!

I'll be running all the races during the weekend (minus the Kids Race and the Dog Run): a 3.8 mile trail race on Friday, 5k and 10k on Saturday, and the half marathon on Sunday.

Want to join me for one of the best race weekends on the east coast??

The awesomely generous folks at Runner's World have given me one FREE RACE ENTRY for any of the weekend's events to giveaway to one lucky blog reader! See details below for your chance to win!

Giveaway Rules: This giveaway will run until 8/23/17 at midnight. At that time, rafflecopter randomly selects a winner from all the entries. The more points you accumulate, the more entries you can get- make sure to tweet about the giveaway every day to get more chances to win!

I will contact the winner on 8/23/17 by email and will give a two day window to respond/claim the prize. If I have not heard from the winner by midnight on 8/25/17, I will draw another name/winner from the rafflecopter list.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you don't happen to win the free entry, you can still get a 10% discount on any of the weekend's races by using the code "SPARKLYRUNNER" at checkout. 



Good luck and see you in Bethlehem!

Accountability Monday: 8/14/17

Hola, friends! I am so excited to post this morning because I can finally share some awesome news that I received a few weeks ago- read on to find out how this benefits YOU!

Training
Wednesday: 3.1 miles, 12:41 pace
Saturday: 3.1 miles, 12:10 pace

This week, I finally was able to start running again with no issues from the pneumonia. It has been about seven weeks since I have been able to run consistently without any chest pain or coughing. Since there are only three weeks (!) until the Harrisburg Half Marathon, I'm going to have to really compress my training into the time I have left. I'm planning a seven miler this weekend, a nine miler the following weekend, and then a five miler the following weekend. Luckily, the Harrisburg Half is a walker-friendly race so I'll be able to run some of the race and walk when and as much as I need.

Best Run
Definitely the run on Saturday morning with Matthew. I felt really strong and even managed a sub-12 minute mile in there. Slowly I'll get back to pre-pneumonia shape. :-)

Saturday morning 5k with my love. 4 weeks until #harrisburghalf and 10 weeks until #rwhalf. Time to get to work!

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Aug 12, 2017 at 8:52am PDT

Bravo Moment
Ok, so here's the news I've been waiting to share- I've been selected to be part of the Runner's World Half Marathon Run Crew!!!

So, what's the big deal? In addition to a whole host of goodies, giveaways, and exclusive opportunities during the Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend, the awesome folks at Runner's World have extended the generosity and are giving you some cool stuff as well!

More details will be coming in a post this week, but in short, I've got a 10% discount code for you to register for the event (use "SPARKLYRUNNER" at checkout), a FREE race registration for one lucky follower, and an extra RW Half & Festival Swag Bag (worth $100+) to give away!

Seriously, how cool is that?! I can't wait to tell you more about the Run Crew program and why I'm so excited to be headed back to Bethlehem this October.

Quote of the Week
Because I'm super pumped to see him again at RW's Half & Festival, here's a good one by the "Mayor of Running" himself, Bart Yasso.

Make it a good week, friends!

Who will I see in Bethlehem this fall for the Runner's World Half & Festival?

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday

Got my CT scan results back... and I'm back on another round of antibiotics.
Fingers crossed this will cure the pneumonia once and for all. 

Congratulations to Sarah P. winner of the Disney quote medal holder giveaway!

New shoes 💖💖💖

Woo! I made it on the Top 100 Running Blog list again this week!

Drinks with dinner tonight because we have something super cool and running-related to celebrate- details coming soon!