Hey there! It has been a busy week so far and it’s only Tuesday! Lately I’ve been trying to do a lot of strategizing for the blog and getting some ideas together, which somehow means that I’m writing less.
I’m planning on creating a survey to get ideas on what you, my readers, are most interested in learning about, and creating content that is better catered to you! I’ll let you know when it’s ready–I’d appreciate any feedback!
In any event, I’m still here! And I’m linking up with Tuesdays on the Run, hosted by April at Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erica from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from My No-Guilt Life! The Tuesdays on the Run series gets a lot of cool running bloggers together and we share our posts with the topic of the week. This week, we’re talking about our 2015 races!
2015 Race Training Begins:
Last month, I shared my race schedule for 2015. One of my goals for the year is to HAVE FUN and not worry about finishing times, and I strategically picked a lot of races that I’ve never run before so that I won’t have any comparisons in the back of my head. Now that 2015 is actually here, it’s time to get things going! Here are the first few races I’m preparing for this year.
Fight for Air Stair Climb
My first big event of the year is the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Stair Climb in Philadelphia on March 21. My coworkers and I have participated since 2009, and it has been a great time each year!
The challenge consists of going up 50 flights of stairs at one of the tallest buildings in the city. It sounds super insane, but most people are finished within 20 minutes. My best time going up was 10:12. I think the fastest people make it up in less than 6 minutes! But since I didn’t think I’d ever go sub-10 minutes, I’ve upped the ante and will be going up the stairs twice as part of the Century Climb!
Last year I did just barely beat my goal of finishing the Century Climb in 25 minutes, but his year I’m actually working hard to train for the steps, and thankfully I have no threat of injury! Since the race is on March 21, I’ve got plenty of time to continue to build my lower body strength. Using the Nike Training Club app, I’m doing lots of squats and lunges in all different variations. Plus I plan to spend more time practicing on the Art Museum steps and any other stairs I can work on to build my endurance.
I am also fundraising for the Stair Climb, as I do every year. Coming from a family full of smokers and those suffering with asthma, fighting lung disease is really important to me. If you are interested in supporting the cause, please check out my donation page. My goal is to raise at least $200 for the cause. I appreciate your support!
Cherry Blossom Run 10 Miler
I am SUPER excited about the Cherry Blossom Run on April 12, and I’m still stoked that my boyfriend, sister and I all made it into the lottery.
I just reached out to Coach Kristy about working together again, so we’re on our way! Thanks to the Run Streak, I’ve already got a pretty good base to build on for training. So I look forward to sharing my training journey with you all for the next several weeks. The fun begins on January 26 – I can’t wait to be back in training mode again!
This will be my first race in DC, so I’m super excited to have this change of pace, no pun intended! I’m also really excited about meeting some of my favorite bloggers at Cherry Blossom! If you’re going to be there, let me know!
Clean Air Council 5K
The Clean Air Council 5K on April 18 is another oldie, but a goodie, and I always have fun at this race. Every year in celebration of Earth Day, my company sets up running and walking teams for the Clean Air Council 5K Run and 3K Walk. Like most 5K’s in Philadelphia, it starts at the Art Museum, and goes down MLK Drive and back. But what makes the Clean Air Council 5K unique is the amazing energy from all the participants. People wear fun costumes, bring their dogs along, and there are always great vendors. It’s fun being around friendly green people.
Last year I had my PR for this race and felt like a rock star with my 8-8.5 minute pace. I don’t know why or how it happened (stars aligned?), but I think I just focused on enjoying myself. I hope to have a great time with everyone once again!
Possible: Feel the Love 5K
Sponsored by the Bryn Mawr Running Company, this race came up on my radar and I’m still pondering whether to participate in the Feel the Love 5K on Valentine’s Day. It’s a unique couples race where you run a loop multiple times in the opposite direction of your partner while you pass each other over and over during the course.
This would purely be a fun and mostly likely freezing cold race, so I’m seriously considering it! It takes place in the Navy Yard. I’ve done a race down there before and it’s really nice, so I think this would be something new and fun to try. It looks like they have a really fun afterparty as well…but I may want to do something more romantic on Valentine’s Day than hang out with a bunch of runners! We’ll see!
Last Week’s Workouts:
Monday 1/5: My first run since finishing the Runner’s World Streak….2 miles at lunch. Thankfully no shin/calf issues! Then I did the Dynamic Yoga 15 minute routine from Nike Training Club…it was very challenging. My side planks were pretty weak!
Tuesday 1/6: “Squat Party” workout on Nike Training Club, 30 minutes. Again, the core work was the hardest.
Wednesday 1/7: Rest! City Fit Girls Group Run was cancelled because of the frigid weather!
Thursday 1/8: 1.64 miles on the treadmill doing hill intervals, 1.5% and 9.5% incline at a 12 minute pace…intense! Then I did the 45 minute “Worth the Weight” workout on Nike Training. Biggest struggles were flutter kicks and tricep pushups.
Friday 1/9: I ran 2.5 miles outside during lunch. It was windy as heck but I survived!
Saturday 1/10: I ran 6.2 miles outside with Bret. It. Was. Cold!! But I was really happy, and even had a 10:16 average pace (say what!). Then I went up and down the Art Museum steps 3 times for some stair climb training.
Sunday 1/11: I was really beat from Saturday so I didn’t work out.
Monday 1/12: I wanted to run, but the pouring rain and a busy lunchtime held me up. When I got home I did the 45 minute “Power Press” followed by the 15 minute “Dynamic Yoga” on Nike Training Club, Tricep dips were surprisingly one of the hardest workouts!
[bctt tweet=”2015 Races: Cherry Blossom, Fight For Air Stair Climb and more! via @Janelle_RWNR #totr”]
Are you training for any races, or have you already started racing this year? What’s your biggest race goal for the year?
Looks like a great week of running and training! I’m already training for my 3/28 half marathon but I still don’t know what the rest of my year looks like in terms of racing. TBD! I can’t wait to hear how your Cherry Blossom training goes. I didn’t enter the lottery this year, but I hope to run this in the future.
Good luck on your half, Jess! I’m so excited to get back in training mode again. I’ll definitely keep an eye on your training!
I think it’s cool that you’re doing some pretty creative/non-traditional races, like the stair climb. The feel the love 5k sounds like a lot of fun as well. I look forward to reading recaps of them!
Variety is the spice of life! I’m still on the fence for the Feel the Love, but I think it’ll be a blast 🙂
We have stair climbs in Dallas too, and I think of Ghostbusters all the time when I see it on stores’ race schedule. “Let me know when we get to 20. I’m gonna throw up!”
Hahaha…my boyfriend is a Ghostbuster’s fanatic, I’ll have to say that line to him!
I’ve got to find one of those stair climbs to do that looks like a blast!
Yes, check the American Lung Association and see if they have a stair climb in your area! It’s a fun time 🙂
Love your schedule! I have some friends who do a stair climb in Jacksonville and it is such a great fundraiser and gets the cause out there. Great work! I must get the Cherry Blossom race on my race calendar one of these days! Thanks for linking up with us today!
Glad I could join in the linkup! The Stair Climb in Philly does a great job raising money for the ALA…a few teams raise well over $10,000!
Looks like a great race schedule. I’ve always wanted to do a stair climb. We have a few of them here in Chi-town…
Ooh I bet the (former) Sears building would be the ultimate challenge…i.e. Death!
I thought of your air climb when I was using the stair master the other day! I think I got to 30 flights in 7 minutes, would be fun if there was one in DC. The V-Day run sounds really cute!
I’m surprised there are no stair climbs in DC. You’d clearly be a great candidate–it’s an awesome workout!
The Valentine’s run sounds like a hoot!
I’ll have to see how it goes if I sign up! And thank you SO much for your donation!
Would love to do something like that stair climb! Need to find one nearby. Looks like a nice plan you’ve got. I’m not running Cherry Blossom but hopefully there’s a meet up involved somewhere!
Aw I’d love to meet you at the Cherry Blossom even if you’re not running!
I have such a hard time finding races to do near me. I was hoping for the Nashville Music City Marathon in April, but I hurt my foot in November and that derailed me. I am hoping I can get one in the fall, though, and if not that, at least another half.
My wife and I are planning on doing a 10k together in April, at least, which will be a lot of fun. We haven’t really been able to run a race together in close to 2 years for one reason or another.
My big goal is to do the RunDisney Marathon in 2016, but man…those are so expensive when you include travel to Disney World.
Ugh, foot injuries are the worst! I hope you recover soon! That’s awesome you and your wife will be running together. I love running with my boyfriend, even though he’s faster than me!
I think the stair climb events are so awesome. They have one in Calgary, where participants have to climb to the top of the tower. My biggest goal this year is to carve off a couple hours from my Lost Souls 54K (race is in September). I got sick last year during the race so I think it is doable!
Have a great week!
Hey Crystal, now how many miles is a 54K?? I’m sure you’ll knock out those goals! 🙂
The annual stair climb I do every year is two Sundays from now and I haven’t practiced. I might do it. How many floors? I have to climb 80 in the Aon building in Chicago. #wowlinkup
Ooh 80 floors! The Stair Climb I’m doing is 100, but I’m going up the same building twice, so at least I get a “break” when I go down the elevator! Good luck on your event!
I think the Cherry Blossom is on my bucket list!!! Someday, I hope. Looks like you have a good spring ahead of you!
I hope the race is as great as everyone says it is!
That is a very interesting event – climbing 50 flights of stairs. I wonder how I would do because 3 flights can have my legs burning. I can’t wait to hear more about your progress on that one. #wowlinkup
Stair climbing is a great challenge! I need to boost up my training and hit the steps!
My first race (a 15K) is actually this weekend. Good luck with your races this year #wowlinkup
Good luck on your race! I’ve never done the 15K distance, sounds good!