January 2016 – Jane Runs Wild

“Be Brave. Be Strong. Be YOU”: Interview with Elite Runner Tina Muir

Happy Friday! As we approach the end of the week, a weekend of possibilities ahead of us, I’ll offer you some Friday fitness inspiration. I was lucky enough to interview with elite runner Tina Muir, and today’s post will include the feedback. Tina Muir is originally from the UK, but relocated to the USA in 2007 to pursue her education and running career. Tina’s PRs include 16:08 in the 5k, 33:24 in the 10k, a 1:13 half marathon, and 2:41 in the marathon (London). She recently won the Army 10 miler in DC with a finish time of 55:19. Tina is sponsored by Saucony, and is currently trying to make the Great Britain team for the world half championships. You can read more about Tina and her running career on her wonderful blog, www.tinamuir.com, and on Runner’s Connect where she is currently the community manager. Enjoy!

Tina+Muir+Aviva+2012+UK+Olympic+Trials+Championship+99dWvedyfwMl Source

Continue reading ““Be Brave. Be Strong. Be YOU”: Interview with Elite Runner Tina Muir”

Back to Reality

We got back to Boston late Monday night and I’m definitely missing the Miami sunshine already! While I love my home city of Boston, there’s nothing like escaping to warmer climates during the winter to cleanse the soul. Even a quick weekend away was such an incredible mental boost!

We wrapped up our trip with a great lunch with my parents who were also in town. Lunch with a view:

Continue reading “Back to Reality”

Miami Half Marathon Recap

Big hello on this Monday! Hope your week is off to a great start! Only 125 days until Memorial Day, my official start to summer. I don’t go by the summer solstice! :)

Today’s post will be a quick recap of the Miami half marathon and our weekend down in the sunshine state.

Continue reading “Miami Half Marathon Recap”

How to Navigate a Race

Warning: this is a long post but is a helpful guide for first-time racers (or could spark discussion with experienced runners!)

My incredible running coaches have helped me in many ways. They make my job easy-all I have to do is run! But in all seriousness, hiring a running coach has been so beneficial for me. Lisa and Julie of “Run Faster and Farther” have helped improve my finish times and have given me that extra motivation that I have needed during this winter training cycle. Running coaches aren’t just for elite runners! Lisa and Julie have helped push me to my capacity (and I am not yet at the peak!), injury and stress free. Plus, they are a huge source of information about all things running, including race day planning. As I get ready for my next race on Sunday, here some of the tips they’ve provided.

Continue reading “How to Navigate a Race”

Running Outside in the Dark

We’ve made it to Thursday! Hope your week is going well so far- and that for those in the path of the upcoming snow storm, that you’re prepared and ready to hunker down! I won’t lie, Mark and I are fortunate to have planned a trip south for the weekend! I do love a good snowstorm, but I’ll take the Miami heat for now!

I have switched up my running schedule a bit this week and have traded morning runs for after work runs. After a long weekend of running later in the day, I’ve found it tough to adjust to waking up at 5:30 am- plus, the evenings have been a bit milder than the early mornings!

Continue reading “Running Outside in the Dark”

Week Before the Half Marathon

Happy Tuesday everyone! If you live in the Boston area, hope you’re staying warm these days and enjoying the recent snowfall!

Continue reading “Week Before the Half Marathon”

Take Me Back to Siem Reap, Cambodia

Hope you all had a great weekend, and for some of you, a day off today! I am finally feeling better (although Mark is now under the weather!), but it will be nice to get out of the house a bit today!

This cold Boston weather has me thinking about steamy Southeast Asia, and the incredible time Mark and I spent there last year. Today’s post will have a different focus from running, but will take you to Siem Reap, Cambodia!

Continue reading “Take Me Back to Siem Reap, Cambodia”

Dealing with a Cold & Hot Soup

Welcome to the long weekend! Not too much to report here as I have been fighting a bad cold for the past few days. It has seemed to get a little better after sleeping for half of the last 48 hours.

I was unable to run the 8 miles scheduled for Thursday and won’t make them up. Pushing yourself physically when feeling sick is just a recipe for prolonging the sickness. They say that if symptoms are “above the neck” only, you should be fine to work out as you can—but I will be sure to take it easy until I am fully recovered. I have a half marathon race next weekend (bienvenido a Miami!), and want to be healthy for that. I am feeling a little bit of cabin fever though- I usually spend at least an hour outside every day between my commute and exercising outdoors, so staying inside and unable to run has been a little tough.

013 (1) South Beach, Miami last year!

Continue reading “Dealing with a Cold & Hot Soup”

All About Balance

Happy Thursday! Hope your week has included some fitness and fun – not just work!

I ran both indoors and outdoors this week. I was nervously anticipating running on the treadmill yesterday since I took the treacherous (ok, slight exaggeration) second half of my long run inside last weekend. However, once I got going and fought some boredom, my mindset changed. A nice 2 mile warmup, 3X1200m @10k pace and 2X400m @5k pace , followed by a 2 mile cool down later, I was able to check off another speed workout. Only 4 more speed workouts until race day, which is only a little over 6 weeks away!

All of the layers (and a lot not pictured) for outdoor runs!

Continue reading “All About Balance”

Heartbreak Hill, Here I Come!

Welcome to the middle of January, where the temperatures drop! But my spirits are high because I have some exciting news to share! Thanks to Clif Bar, I will be running the 2016 Boston Marathon!

Running this marathon, my hometown race, has been a lifelong dream of mine. I first tried to qualify in 2011 at the Disney Marathon. I thought I was successful, coming in under 3 hours and 40 minutes, which was faster than the qualification standard for my age at that time. However, later that year the BAA modified the standard for qualification and I ended up missing the cut by 18 seconds!

Continue reading “Heartbreak Hill, Here I Come!”

Running, Rain, and Relaxation

Hope you all had a great weekend! In Boston, it wasn’t too cold but unfortunately not very pleasant otherwise—Saturday was a bit gloomy and yesterday was stormy with heavy rain and winds. I will take it over frigid temperatures and blizzards though! In fact, most of the snow that fell the week after Christmas has melted, making it truly look like the calm before the storm!

My legs were feeling sore on Saturday, and I had a friend’s baby shower- so I opted to run the long run yesterday, even given the looming storm. It was also a good excuse to relax the rest of the day!

FullSizeRender (1) Co-ed baby shower!

Continue reading “Running, Rain, and Relaxation”

Interview with an Elite Runner

Happy Weekend! Hope it’s off to a good start for you all! I was able to see some great friends last night, and more of that today- so it’s going pretty well for me so far. I am starting to become less motivated to run in this cold weather, and know that I am not alone! Today’s post will include some extra motivation for you as you tackle your running goals, or any other goals you may have.

fernandocabadaessentialworkout Source

I was able to interview with American elite runner Fernando Cabada, who offered a glimpse into the life of an elite runner. Cabada ran a 2:12:27 marathon debut in Fukuoka, Japan in 2006, won the Twin Cities marathon in 2008 with a time of 2:16:32, ran a 2:18:23 Boston Marathon in 2013, and ran an incredible 2:11:36 Berlin marathon in the fall of 2014. He most recently placed second in the Jacksonville FL half with a time of 1:03:25. Talk about fast!

Continue reading “Interview with an Elite Runner”

Winter Has Arrived & New Running Shoes

Well suddenly winter has arrived in Boston!

Bring out the long down coats and all other warm clothing! This first week of January has been especially tough for running due to a busy work schedule and frigid temperatures! My coaches have said that flexibility is key for successful winter running, and my schedule serves as a guideline, not a mandate. I’ve managed to get in two seven mile runs, but I haven’t followed my schedule precisely. I opted to skip my speed work for warmer temperatures later in the week as running fast in cooler temperatures is sometimes not ideal!

I did warm up after being frozen for the first 15 minutes during last night’s 7 miler! In last night’s run, I passed by a couple of great Boston sites:

Continue reading “Winter Has Arrived & New Running Shoes”

A Friend’s Experience with CrossFit!

In the spirit of the new workout streak goal (as opposed to running streak goal), today’s post is focused on a type of exercise different from running. I’m sure most of you have heard of CrossFit- a core strength and conditioning program. The workouts are designed for “universal scalability”, changing them to various intensities depending on the individual.

My friend Jenna is a CrossFit enthusiast, and agreed to share her perspective on the CrossFit experience. Hope you find her words motivating in these cold winter days, and inspire you to try something new!

601612_948213949486_1084488052_n

Continue reading “A Friend’s Experience with CrossFit!”

Back to the Grind

After a week-long holiday office closing, I am back to the office again. The time off has been very rejuvenating- full of rest, time spent with family and friends, travel, and getting outside on some beautiful runs- all of my favorite activities!

Saturday night game night!

Continue reading “Back to the Grind”

Back in Boston and A Running Streak

Today’s long run of 20 miles was a tough one! It is a windy and cold day in Boston, about 35 degrees. Since winter running is relatively new to me, I still haven’t honed in on the perfect running outfit. On cold runs, I typically wear gloves and have started to wear my new favorite clothing item: lululemon running scarf (link here)- thanks sis! It’s light with a perfect fit around my neck, and keeps me toasty! I wore two long sleeve layers (shell and thin base layer), and felt a little warm- but my extremities were chilly even while covered!

Super happy to get the miles in- only 3 more 20’s to go in my coaches‘ Phoenix Marathon training plan! Next weekend will be another long run, and then I will be tapering for my half at the end of the month.

The winter-like Boston weather (it’s finally here!) was a contrast to the colorful, beachy warm views of PR! Here are some last shots:

IMG_1860 (1)