National Running Day 2015

It’s Hump Day again!  Hope you’re having a great week.

In case you didn’t know, June 3 is National Running Day!  It’s a celebration of all things running!  Check out my post from last year celebrating the occasion!

This year I’m linking up with Kristen from Jonesin for a Run, who came up with a really fun interview in honor of the occasion!  Be sure to check out her site and the linkup!

I’m also participating in the Friday Five linkup with Mar and Courtney!  Happy National Running Day!

[bctt tweet=”June 3rd is National Running Day! Let’s celebrate and reflect on our running journeys! #runchat #wowlinkup #sweatpink”]

National Running Day Interview

Why do you run?

I’ve already written a post all about why I run!  The main reasons I run are because It keeps me fit and challenges me (physically, mentally, emotionally) every day!

How do you plan to celebrate National Running Day?

Well this post in itself is a celebration of National Running Day, but of course I will be going for a run today!  I have a 4-mile hill training run on tap, and I plan to go out with City Fit Girls for their group run – we’ll be running over the Ben Franklin Bridge!

How many miles have you run so far this year?

I had to do the math…for 2015 so far, I have run 353 miles!  Wow, that’s a lot for me!

What big events do you have on the race calendar so far this year?

One race I’m running for sure is The Philly 10K!  I’m actually still trying to figure out my race calendar for the rest of the year, especially for the fall!  I have a few events on my radar but I haven’t signed up for any of them yet.  I am considering:

• Hands on House Half Marathon,
• Rock and Roll Philly Half Marathon,
• Tough Mudder,
• Trenton Half Marathon/10K,
• YMCA Turkey Trot, and
• Rehoboth Beach Half Marathon!

Not to mention there are races in the Maryland/DC area that look tempting…I need some suggestions!

Before you leave for a run you must have:

• Cell phone to listen to music
• Nathan handheld water bottle
• Clif Shot Bloks for long runs past 5 miles
• Short warm up: quad stretching, leg swings, ankle rotations, and calf stretching

Do you have one favorite app to track your runs?

I love my Nike+ watch!  Bret gave it to me a couple of Christmases ago.  The Nike+ app is fantastic!  But I also use Runkeeper, now mainly for my treadmill runs.  That was the app I used when I first started running.

Who is your favorite running partner?

This is a tough one actually…I formed a running club at work, and we are VERY small.  There are really only 3 of us, even after 4 years, haha.  But I really enjoy running with Mark and Tom.  I have my best training runs with them and we’ve been running together for so long that even while we aren’t together every weekend, every time is just like routine.

What races have you ran so far this year?

• Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run
• Run for Clean Air 5K
• Log Off, Shut Down, Go Run Virtual 10K
• Zooma Annapolis 10K

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If you had to give someone one piece of advice about running what would it be?

I have to say that if you are starting to run, you really have to take it slow and be realistic.  People tell me all the time that they think they have to be “fast” to be a runner.  It’s NOT true, believe me…I am not fast and never will be!  Everyone has to start somewhere.  Don’t push yourself so hard that you quit before you really get started!  You have to take it slowly, be patient, and WORK towards your running goals.  It takes dedication!  And don’t compare yourself to other people!  Everyone has their own journey and their own struggles.

Describe your relationship with running in one word:

Passionate.  It has been a LONG road but I truly feel that I’m in a great place with my running right now!  I’m really happy to be healthy, injury-free…and even though I have moments of weakness when I compare myself to others, I have been working really hard and seeing results over this past year!  I love talking to people about running and encouraging others to give it a shot.  I just want to share my joy for running and help others see the light!

Check out the linkup below and see what everyone else is saying about National Running Day!

1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Training Recap Week 7:

Thursday 5/28: I went to yoga class for the first time in months! It was really challenging – side planks, Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 were much weaker, but at least I was happy with my chair pose! It was extremely humid outside and we were all dripping in sweat during this heated yoga class!

Friday 5/29: Rest day!

Saturday 5/30:  Zooma Annapolis 10K!  Check out my recap if you missed it!

Sunday 5/31:  Went to Power Yoga in the morning.  It was definitely more advanced!  There was no time set for breaks at all, but I really enjoyed the challenge.  We did some ab work towards the end and I could NOT do it…my lower abs are pathetically weak right now!  So that was humbling…

Monday 6/1:  I had 3 easy miles on tap.  They weren’t too bad at all, but I spent much of my run in the rain!  I was so happy to not be dealing with 80 degree weather that I didn’t really care!

Tuesday 6/2:  Another day of Power Yoga!  Somehow this was the sweatiest class of them all!  We had a completely full studio and the windows were all fogged up….the sweat was almost too much to handle!  Class was pretty similar to Sunday’s Power Yoga, so it wasn’t as much of a surprise/struggle.  I do need to work on hip opening…I cannot get my forearms to touch the floor for lizard pose!

Week 7 Training Report Card

I am extremely happy with my past week of training.  Obviously, my successful race at Zooma Annapolis played a big role in that!  I am still amazed that I was able to tackle those hills in the intense heat and humidity!  As for my other runs, I didn’t push them too hard, which is great.  Adding yoga to mix has definitely been valuable, even though I have to get used to the delayed onset muscle soreness!  If I can keep this up, I should be in good shape for the 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon – barely over a week away!

Since it is National Running Day, I am going to go out for a run!  Hopefully you will too!  Will you be participating in National Running Day?  How would you answer these questions?

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