Confession

I chafe. 

I chafe so bad that I've been know to scream out in the shower.  You know when that cold water hits the spot for the first time... OUCH!!  Are you thinking TMI?  Leave now, it gets worse... All is fair topic amongst runners, right?!

All super heroes wear Spandex, right?!

When I first started running (+50 lbs ago!), my inner thighs got it every single time I ran.  No exception.  It really made this new sport of running fun... And then I found compression shorts.  All Hail the Spandex!  Someday my inner thighs will not touch and it will all be good.

Next came the sports bra lines.  Talk about some sore girlies!  So I tossed the cheap $10 cotton sports bras from the '90's, and invested in some quality moisture-wicking ones.  Even at that, when I get over the 10 mile mark, I have to lube up the girls beforehand, or I'll come back with painful red marks.  My pricey Under Armour sports bras are now my go-to for the long runs.

Finally, the underarms.  Again I replaced the cheap cotton tanks for moisture-wicking material that pulls perspiration away from my body.  It helped temporarily.  Then I started losing weight, and there was suddenly extra material in the underarm area as my tops became more and more loose.  When you're overweight, loose fitting shirts are just more comfortable (on the ego).  Unfortunately, they also accelerate chafing.  Do I have to... snug fitting clothing?  You betcha!

I work hard, thus I sweat hard.  Naturally, I decided to just double-up on the deodarant.  After some research, I found that makes it worse!  You should stick to talcum powder, cornstarch or potato starch to stay dry... or just lube up and problem solved.  Lubricants allow the skin to slide rather than rubbing raw.  There are lots of fancy ointments and creams out there, but my budget right now is good ole fashion petroleum jelly.  It can also be used on feet and toes to avoid blisters.  

I'm anxious to try out the 2Toms product sample on the way (review and giveaway to come!).  They have a contest in-progress right now to win a year's supply of products... Have I made it perfectly clear that I NEED that yet?!?!  So help a gal out... Like the 2Toms facebook page, then scroll down a bit and find my wall post (Jessica Wucki McMullin) and please, pretty pretty please, click like under my post!  Got chafing problems yourself? Enter the contest.

After all that, I'm off to a long-tempo run.  Hopefully chafe-free today.

Are you a fellow chafer?!

What's your favorite product and/or prevention method?

Don't forget to enter my KIDS YOGA GIVEAWAY!

Hump-day Humor

One of the things I love about running races is all the creative signs that spectators hold to cheer on runners.  It really helps to pass the time and always puts a smile on my face.  Here's some fun ones...

Some of my personal favorites have been... 

Person dressed up in cow suit holding sign that says "Get Moo-ving!"

Person dressed up as grim reaper holding sign that says "The end is near."

What the funniest sign you've seen during your races?

Don't forget to enter my KIDS YOGA GIVEAWAY!

Grueling Rewards

Like many runner moms, there are only a few windows during the day to squeeze in a run.  I have exactly four.  They break down like this...
• 5-7am: before the kids get up.  I never make this one unless it's summer and I can sneak outside before hubby leaves for work.
• 9-11am: between preschool dropoffs/pickups.  This is my usual gym run with the Little Girl.
• 11:30-1:30pm: after preschool, before naps.  This is a tough one as it requires pre-made lunches to be eaten in the car during the preschool-to-gym commute.
• 2-4pm: naptime a.k.a. mommy free time.  I usually hate to burn this by exercising, when I could be wasting time online or relaxing with a book  preparing dinner and cleaning house.

Today I missed the first two windows, so my least favorite #3 was activated.  But how appropriate for my least favorite workout... INTERVALS!  I hate these suckers, but six weeks into FIRST training, I do not deviate from the plan.

Today's intervals can be summed up in three words...

Grueling.  Rewarding.  Done!

2 mile warmup @ 10:20 pace / 5.8mph

6 x 800 intervals @ 8:30 pace / 7.1mph

RI varied, but lasted no more than 400m.

1.5 mile cooldown @ 10:40 pace

TOTAL:  7.5 miles in 73 minutes

What pushed me through the intervals was not that I wanted to run faster (alas the Run Less, Run Faster plan), but rather that I wanted to run lighter.  I've had a really hard time trimming weight in past training programs, but the FIRST program with these darn intervals and tempos are very challenging to my body.  And I've been starting to see the pounds drop finally. 

During today's run, I tried out a couple new things... BondiBand headband (giveaway coming soon!), a new pair of Asics Gel-3020 running shoes, and my new running socks from Recovery Sock.  All a success and made for a great run.  I can't wait to share reviews with you... coming soon!

Do you have "windows" for your runs?  What happens if you miss it?

I've actually heard of runners calling intervals "fun"... What's your take on them?

Don't forget to enter my KIDS YOGA GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY: ABC's of Yoga for Kids!

If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm a big fan of combining yoga into my running schedule.  Yoga is relaxing, relieves stress in muscles (and mind!), and has been a great tool in my recovery from long runs.  While aiding muscle repair, yoga minimizes the soreness and tightness that comes with overworked muscles.  Read more on the benefits of yoga for runners HERE. Great article!

When mommy does something, my little chickies follow suit... Thus Kids Yoga was introduced into our house!  First my gym offered some kids classes that Big Girl attended.  Then the girls received this great children's book last Christmas.... The ABC's of Yoga for Kids by Teresa Anne Power.

The book was an instant hit with the girls.  Walking through the alphabet, kids are introduced to 55 different yoga poses.  Each pose is demonstrated with cute illustrations and a short and fun description in the form of a rhyming vignette.  In short, it's a fantastic interactive book for parents to read and play with their children.  And when mommy is busy, it is simple enough that my two and four year old can flip through the poses by themselves. (Note to mommies: huge entertainment to watch them do the poses!)

Why Yoga for Kids?
Taking the words directly from the author's mouth, yoga benefits children by...

• developing discipline
• helping in the performance of other sport activities
• strengthening both fine and gross motor coordination
• improving visual-motor and auditory processing
• toning internal glands and organs
• aiding cognitive functions of sequencing and memory
• heightening body awareness and self-control
• increasing both flexibility and strength.

Indeed, yoga nourishes the mind, body and spirit, and paves the way for a life-long tradition of health and fitness. Children of all ages and sizes and varying degrees of athletic abilities can practice yoga, a non-competitive form of exercise.

Sorry, the book giveaway is now over.

And the winner is...

THANK YOU to everyone who entered the Pink Ribbon Sports Bottle giveaway, especially for the kind donations.   I'm close to 75% of my goal with $730 raised this year to fight breast cancer.

THE WINNER is Penny aka The Pink Hat Runner.  I just realized as I type this... what a coincidence that she's the winner of the Pink Ribbon giveaway!?   I guess it was "pink fate"!  Penny is a farmer wife, mother of two boys, and above all... a MARATHON RUNNER!!  

HONOR THE WARRIORS! 

Do you know a breast cancer survivor?  someone currently fighting?  or a loved one who lost the battle?  I will run to honor them.  For a $10 donation, you can add their name to the back of my custom-designed race shirt.  I'd like to fill the shirt, so please forward this to anyone you know that has been touched by breast cancer.  The race shirt will be worn during two races: April 30 at the Illinois Half-Marathon and May 7 at the Peoria Race for the Cure.  Just email me the honorary name, and donations can be made HERE.   Coming soon on this blog... you'll get to vote on the shirt design!

Happy Monday!  I'm off to spin...

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Miles

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey make dating, love, relationships and even riding a motorcycle look easy.

Today they made 10 miles feel easy too.

Let me explain.  Last night I packed my bags, laid out outfits for me and the two little girls, even had breakfast prepped in the kitchen.  We were hitting the gym right away this morning for my 10 mile long run.  Hubby was working all weekend, so the gym was really the only option for me to make this run happen.  Right?!  Wrong.  Big Girl woke up with a slight fever, and shortly after breakfast, I was cleaning up breakfast on the bathroom floor.  The gym was out.  I quickly realized now the only way 10 miles was going to happen was on the basement treadmill.  Oh, say it ain't so...

How to pass the time for that long on a treadmill?  I remembered other runners mention movies, so I grabbed my favorite "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and we headed downstairs.  It was the perfect pick since I knew all the words without actually listening to it.  Watch movie.  Listen to music.  Perfect combination.  And in a flash, 10 miles were done, and Andy got her guy...
TOTAL:  10 miles in 1 hr, 43 min.  10:18 pace.



HERE'S MY "10" ON THE DAY...
1. The "love fern" died before I did.  Did you know there is actually a group on Facebook called You Killed Our Love Fern devoted to this scene in the movie?  Seriously.
2. Matthew McConaughey is not the heart-throb he was when this movie came out in '03.  I used to be really infatuated with him.  Kate Hudson, however, still rocks.
3. I really need to get one of those clips that attach to your shirt.  The ipod wires literally stick to my skin when I sweat this much.
4. To quote Matthew in the movie, "Guys, a woman's purse, it's her secret source of power..."  Hmmm, maybe I should bring it with on a run?!

My girls waiting for mommy
to finish 10 miles.  Love them!

5. My children can be bribed, and I am not above it.  I packed up a goodie bag, promised my girlies treats every couple miles that mommy ran.  Mile 4, they got their lunch.  Mile 6 was peanut butter/cheddar crackers.  Mile 8 was fruit snacks.  And for good behavior with no fights, they got Princess suckers at the end.
6. Placing the sweat towel overtop the treadmill digits really does make the time tick faster.  Thanks bloggy friends for this tip!
7. Another two pounds lost this week.  Woo-Hoo!
8. I am capable of a negative split.  My first 5 miles clocked at 52:10, the second half was only 50:55.
9. My treadmill automatically shuts off when it reaches 100 minutes.  I never knew that, which means this is the longest I've ever ran on my treadmill in one workout.
10.  To quote a line from the movie... "And that is how it's done."  Week 5 of training complete.

Don't forget to enter my Pink Ribbon Sports Bottle Giveaway!
Ends Sunday!

Friday Beer Run!

B. 
Double-E. 
Double-R. 
U. N.  
Beer Run! 

Oh-yeah, it's Friday!  Sometimes I miss the younger years when Friday Happy Hours stretched into the wee hours of the morning.  Who doesn't crave a beer at the end of a work week?!  Lately Friday nights are all about a healthy meal and good night's sleep to power Saturday's long run.  However, I do still treat myself to cold one on Saturday night to celebrate a good week of training.


"Will Run for Beer"  When I saw this shirt, I had to get it!  It's fun - and definitely attention-getting.  The first time I wore it to the gym, I had to laugh because every muscle man that walked past was staring at my chest... reading the shirt of course!

Check out the One More Mile website for running apparel with hundreds of fun sayings.  This tank is made of Wick-lite Diamond Knit.  It's a combination of ring-spun and filament yarns that make it very soft and stretchy.  The appearance is high-tech and attractive.  I ordered two tanks and was delighted when they arrived all wrapped up like a present.  The tops are very comfortable and fit is excellent.  Length comes just past hips, but I'm also on the short side at 5'2".  Bonus - they pass the "underarm chafe test" too!  The great folks at One More Mile gave me a 15% discount code for my readers!  Just enter in RUC1326 when prompted.

At the end of a long week, do you ever celebrate with a cold one?!  What your drink of choice?  My favorite is MGD 64 beer, or Vodka & SF Red Bull.  Soooo bad, right?!

Smooth Tempo

The fact that my two darling children were fighting like monsters this morning turned out to be a really, really good thing.  It got me motivated FAST this morning to get to the gym.  (Hello, free childcare for two hours?!?!)  I was thankful for my time alone with the ipod and anxious to run this week's tempo.   And for the record, I nailed it!

2 mile warmup
2 mile TEMPO @ 9:20 pace
1 mile easy @ 10:00 pace
2 mile TEMPO @ 9:20 pace
1 mile cool down
TOTAL: 8 miles in 79 minutes
I'm happy with this run because my training plan calls for 9:33 as my mid-tempo pace, but I successfully held onto the 9:20 pace during both tempos (6.4mph on the mill).  In fact, I got the pace down to 9:00 towards the end. When I run on fresh legs, as they were today, I believe I really am getting faster on the Run Less, Run Faster plan.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

My afternoon snacks are usually pretty lame... an apple, banana, etc.  But today I'm in high spirits after my run, so I made a new smoothie to power through until dinner.  I present the Chocolate Banana Smoothie! The taste reminded me of DQ's Mocha MooLattes that are so yummy but pack a whopping 500 calories each!   This recipe makes 16 oz, which was so filling I could hardly finish it.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

1 medium 7" banana (frozen is best)

1/2 c. skim milk

1/2 c. ice cubes

1/2 c. cold coffee, home-brewed

1 T. Hershey's Choc Syrup

1 packet of Sweet 'n Low

Throw it all in a blender until smooth. 

Pour and enjoy!

(201 calories, 47g carbs, 5g protein)

Bananas are by far the most popular recovery food for runners.  They're the perfect grab 'n go snack.  Bananas are easy to digest, packed with energy producing carbs and a great source of potassium, which helps prevent muscle cramps.  Add in the high quality, muscle building protein from milk and you'll recover from a hard run more effectively.  Find more great smoothie ideas HERE.

What is your favorite recovery food/drink?!
Is there anything better than chocolate milk?

Don't forget to enter my Pink Ribbon Sports Bottle Giveaway!

Leprechaun Family

It's fun to be Irish during the month of March. (I'm actually Polish, but when I married my husband and took the Irish surname, I now deem myself one of the Lucky!)   Only 18 more days until the Chicago St. Paddy's Run!  I'll be attempting my first ever 8K, which is almost 5 miles.  I'm really excited for it, but a little nervous... what kind of pace will I be able to hold?  It's certainly not a long run where you hold yourself back, but it's not "all out" like a 5K would be either.  Fortunately, the tempo runs with Run Less, Run Faster training have taught me that I'm capable of more than I thought... so I'm setting a goal somewhere around 45 minutes.

I've been slowly shopping to put together our race outfits.  Did I ever mention I'm one of those loonies who like to dress up in costume to run?!?!  This time I have four outfits to assemble... Hubby is doing the 5K, and both of the girls are running in the Leprechaun Leap Kids Dash.  O' the photos will be delightful!  Running has become a family event in our house... and I could not be happier!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:  45 minute Spinning class, followed by weight circuit, endless rope and a 1 mile cooldown run.  Still some congestion, but I'm feeling much better today!



Are you on Daily Mile?  I'd love to be your friend.  Add me by clicking here.  And check out Tall Mom on the Run's challenge to run 93 miles in March here.

Don't forget to enter my Pink Ribbon Sports Bottle Giveaway!

The power of the Pink Shoes

The last couple days, I've been hiding in my sweats, wrapped in a blanket, under a pile of Kleenex and cough drop wrappers.  The head cold that's been going around my family finally got me.  And let me tell you one thing... I am not a happy camper when I get sick, especially when it falls in the middle of training.

Monday morning, I pulled myself together and made it through Spinning class.  However, there were several times that I pulled back the throttle in fear that I might lose my breakfast.  I bypassed my usual 2-3 mile easy run, which is my add-on to the Run Less, Run Faster plan anyway.

Today I had Intervals on the training schedule.  I knew there was no way I had gas in the system to tackle those... but I hoped at some point to just get the legs moving.  And then it came... the big brown truck with a package reading RoadRunnerSports.  Inside were my new pink Asics!!

ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 12

Now let me explain... I'm all about the right shoe and the right fit, but to me, the right color is almost just as important.  It kinda defines a girl.  And in my case, that color is PINK.  I've had blue, green, purple, orange, but have never found a pair of pink in my size that fit right.  So after trying these on in the store in a different color, I searched the web high and low for a pair in my size.  A size 9 seems to be the most popular women's size?!

So I took my cold medicine and a nap... with the pink shoes by my side.  When I awoke, I knew it was time to give those babies a ride.  I changed into my "pink" outfit... pink sports bra, pink tank, pink socks, pink headband, pink ipod and of course my new pink shoes.  Big Girl took one look at me and said, "Oh-Mommy, everything's pink now!  You are so cool."

After the first two miles, I was amazed how good I felt - so I threw in a couple 1200 intervals at 7.0 mph on the treadmill (8:30 pace).  It felt challenging but doable.  Legs felt great, despite my wheezing chest.  After a mile cooldown, it was almost glorious to come upstairs to the smell of homemade chicken rice soup in the crockpot.  Hopefully by Thursday's tempo, I'll be back to full speed.
TOTAL:  5 miles in 49 minutes.

Up Next (Wed): XT Spin class + weights.  (Thurs): TEMPO 1m, 2m mid-tempo, 1m, 2m mid-tempo, 1m.


Don't forget to enter my Pink Ribbon Sports Bottle Giveaway!