Three Things Thursday

1. I am excited to have reached 1000 for 2014. My goal is to hit 1400 miles but my focus will be more on quality runs for the remainder of the year so come what may.

 2. I finally gave in a decided it was time for my son to get a cell phone. He is in 7th grade this year and swears that he is the only one who does not have a cell phone. I think the decision came when I started getting a bunch of calls from my son from other kids' cell phones when he forgot things for school. He is not the most responsible boy but I think this will be a good time to test him. Not only did he get a new phone but so did I. I took the iPhone 6 from the new line I added and gave him my 5S. Lucky me right?

3. I haven't been posting much on the Weekly Recaps because I really don't have anything exciting to tell you. I have been running with my running club on Saturdays for the past two weeks and that kinds of seems to be the highlight of running for me right now. Hopefully I will have some exciting news to share if I am able to run a race soon. I feel like I jinx myself when I talk about my races too much.

My First Run with IERC

Last week started out really well and things kind of went south at the end of the week because my son was not feeling well. I was on schedule for most of my runs and I even went for my first run with my running club. They are currently training for the LA Marathon which I have no plans to run whatsoever so I am kind of running with them for some short runs and then doing my longer runs on my own.

My plan was to run the 3 Miles they had on their schedule and then do a longer run on my own on Sunday. My long run didn't happen because I had to take care of my son. I haven't decided which pace group I am going to be running with yet since they run in an area which is much hillier than what I am used to.

I also had the opportunity to meet these two sweet girls that I know from Instagram. I guess you can say that I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to running with this group and hopefully becoming a stronger runner. I think it is going to be a nice change for me. I think I need that right now. 

Are you part of a running club?

What do you like best about it if you are?

Three Things Thursday

1. I thought it was pretty cool that Google remembered that it was my birthday. I must be on the late train because I didn't know that this existed!

2. Since I wasn't able to run Ventura on my birthday I did something that I have always wanted to do. I volunteered for a race that benefited Steven's Hope for Children. It was a pretty neat experience. My son and my other half also volunteered with me. My son and I unloaded trucks of water and helped set up the finish line chute and my other half took pictures at the Finish Line.

3. My hip is feeling a lot better and I actually had a good run last night. It wasn't where I want to be but it felt good to test out my hip and not wake up with any pain. I hope this is a good sign for me to be able to run my next race. 

I also wanted to remember those who were affected by the horrible tragedy that took place on 9/11/2001. I pray for all of the those who were affected and hope they find peace today. WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

My Birthday and Why I Am Not Working

I think I forgot to mention that I have not been to work for approximately eleven days. Well, apparently I have too much vacation time at work so I keep getting these use it or lose it letters from Human Resources. I have the option of cashing the vacation out but I didn't really want to do that since I might end up signing up for a 1000 races instead of putting the money in my savings like I should. The haven't been to work since August 28th. My son started school on September 3rd so I spent the week getting him ready for junior high. I also had to attend some meetings so I figured I should just take the days off instead of trying to rush to and from work.

Initially I thought I would be spending the time off getting ready for my birthday race but that didn't happen and if you didn't see why you can read all about it HERE. I heard that the course was not the most scenic and the weather was a little warm so that makes me feel a little bit better about missing it. I will be running it a year from now so we will see how I feel about it.

I also went for a run with my friend to pay tribute to her husband who took his life a year ago. He was cremated but we went for a walk up to the spot where he took his life. The view was so beautiful and peaceful. It was a tough day for my friend and her son so I am glad that I was there with her to help her find some peace in this whole situation.

I have also been busy celebrating my birthday. I think I have been celebrating for the past two weeks. My dear friend took me out to dinner and bought me the cutest running outfit ever. She is just too good to me.

My friends also planned a little get together for me and we had a great time. These girls really know how to make me laugh. It is never a dull moment with them. I don't drink but they made sure to have a drink for me. 

My favorite part of the day was the cake. This cake from The Cheesecake Factory was big enough to feed an army. I got my workout in by just carrying it. It was rich but man was it delicious!

I also enjoyed a birthday celebration with my family. They also spoiled me with lots of gifts. They are the ones who keep me going through it all. We were so busy talking that we forgot to take a picture together..oops!

Other than that I have been taking it easy and I did run a little bit this week. I have kept my runs pretty short and the pace has been pretty darn easy too. My hip is a whole a lot better but I have been taking good care of it this week because I really need to get back into it soon. I stepped on the scale since I have not been running and I gained 1.5 pounds so I am glad that the birthday binge eating  is done and over!

I did go for a run on my birthday because I just had to and I didn't get too carried away. I ran the first 7 miles with my other half and then I did some miles alone. Please don't try to guess my age by the numbers on my Garmin.

Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes on Facebook and Instagram and for all of the love and support you provided when I had to add the Ventura Marathon to the DNS list! Love you all! 

How is your training going? 

What was the highlight of your week?

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The lucky winner of the Long Beach Marathon/Half Marathon race bib giveaway is comment #8!

Please email me at bostonboundbrunette@gmail.com so I can get you all registered and set up to run Long Beach.

Thank you to everyone who entered and good luck to you if you are going to be out there running Long Beach with us!

My Plan for the Ventura Marathon

When I first talked about my running plans for the summer I knew that I wanted to run the Ventura Marathon or Half Marathon since it takes place on my birthday. I didn't want to put any pressure on myself and I just wanted to enjoy my run since it will be a while before a race falls on my birthday again. 

For the past few weeks I have been dealing with pain in my left hip. It never hurts while I run but seems to be sore the next morning. I self diagnosed myself with hip bursitis so I took nine days off from running to see if it would get better. I have been faithfully doing these exercises at home twice a day. I decided to go for an easy 6 miles run on Monday since I needed to make a decision by Tuesday and still had some minor soreness. I also saw my doctor on Tuesday and he confirmed that I have a case of hip bursitis. 

The good thing is that I have already been doing the exercises he recommended and taking anti-inflammatory meds so I am a already a lot better. He told me that I should not run as long as I feel the pain which is what I expected he would say. The words that us runners hate to hear!

My deadline to defer my race was Tuesday so I had to make a decision or take my chances and lose my money. I honestly felt like I could still run the race if I ran at any easy pace which was my original plan to begin with. After much thought and listening to the advice of others, I decided to defer my entry to 2015 because it is the smart thing to do. I have to listen to my body and think of how this will affect me long term. I also have to practice what I preach. I still have my heart set on running Long Beach with my friend in four weeks so I need to focus on getting better for that race. I already have a 20 miler under my belt so I think I can pull it off if I allow myself to heal. My doctor thinks that I should be feeling 100% in the next week or so since I already took some time off.

So if you are running Ventura I won't be out there running in my birthday outfit. I won't have a chance to run a race that falls on my birthday for quite a few years so that is kind of disappointing. I think I am at peace with my decision and am grateful that I am already feeling a lot better. I am a little sad that this is my second DNS for 2014. I almost feel like I am jinxed but hopefully this is the start to something even better for me.

Have you ever ran a race on your birthday?

Long Beach Marathon/Half Marathon Bib Giveaway!

I was contacted by Florastor, one of the sponsors for the Long Beach Marathon, to try out their product in exchange for a race bib. I was not compensated to write this post but I was given a free sample of their product to try.

Florastor^® is the most trusted name in probiotics around the globe. Since 1953, people of all ages have been taking Florastor daily to promote whole-body health. Recommended by doctors and pharmacists in 100 countries and backed by more than 50 years of use, Florastor is made with all-natural ingredients using the highest standards.

What is Florastor? 
Florastor is a friendly yeast-based probiotic that is backed by more than 60 years of clinical research. Probiotics are live microorganisms that benefit health by promoting the body's own natural intestinal flora. Florastor is made with yeast found naturally on the skin of lychee and mangosteen fruit.  Florastor has natural ingredients and is vegetarian and gluten-free. Florastor is generally tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant. Florastor even increases lactase production which helps with the digestion of lactose.

What Can Probiotics do for Athletes? I have personally never tried probiotics so reading about Florastor educated me on what they are all about and how they can be useful to me as a runner. Did you know that 81 percent of distance runners experience some type of intestinal disturbance while exercising? "Florastor is designed to promote the natural flora we all have and help our bodies function naturally so runners can stay active and avoid intestinal disturbance." Since 70% of your immune system lies in your digestive tract, taking a probiotic has the added benefit of supporting a healthy immune system. Less sick days means you can stay on track with your training!

My body is super sensitive to antibiotics and when I take them you don't want to know what they do to me (TMI). Unlike yogurt and other bacterial probiotics, Florastor keeps your intestinal flora in balance even when using antibiotics. I haven't taken antibiotics lately but I am definitely going to take Florastor to see how it helps my body be more tolerate to the medication.

Here is the fun part! Florastor was also generous enough to give one of my readers a free bib to run the Long Beach Marathon or Half Marathon. To enter this giveaway, here is what you have to do:

1) Leave me a comment about your personal experience with Florastor or any other probiotic. If you have never tried probiotics then you can just tell me why you want to run the Long Beach Marathon/Half Marathon and your goal for the race.

You have until Monday, September 8, 2014 to enter this giveaway and I will announce the winner here on my blog on September 9, 2014. 

GOOD LUCK!