Valentine’s gifts for the runner in your life (more specifically the New England runner) 💗❄️

Coming to you from suburbs of Boston – aka the Antarctic?! It’s been snowing twice a week for 3 weeks now – were talking blizzard status. My backyard is filled with snow up to windows!

How am I supposed to train in this?!?! Lottttts of treadmill miles these days!

💗Valentine’s Day is this weekend. Here’s a list of my faves this February that all you running Mamas can drop hints to the hubby for:

1. ProCompression heart socks – perfect for cold weather running and my favorite to recover in! Nothing like the snug hug of these compression socks after a double dig long run!

http://procompression.com/marathon-pink-hearts/

2. YakTrax Pro – the only pavement around here is on the highway. Even the most frequented running routes are packed down with snow  and on the coldest days, ice! Scary! I have done much of my runs inside on treadmill but I need to hit some hills (and more importantly, downhills) for boston so these yaktrax are the safest bet! https://www.yaktrax.com/pro

3. The North Face fleece neck gaiter – hello COZY! These 30-40mph winds are no joke … Looking at – degre windchill temps 😫 this helps keep nose to neck cozy! http://m.thenorthface.com/mt/www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/neck-gaiter_2.html

4. Brooks super cozy mittens! These are a must to keep those fingers toasty! I like to start with hand warmers in here on the extra cold days then ditch the warmers once I warm up! http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/adapt-glove-ii/280230483.040.html?gclid=COq375fk18MCFW5o7AodM1QASQ&CAWELIAID=120170360000032337&CAGPSPN=pla&mkwid=vZ3iaB46&pcrid=51495364586

5. Trader Joes “sipping chocolate” – the perfect way to thaw out after a icy run or after my hubby is outside shoveling for hours on end! Yummy, decadent chocolate is great with some warm vanilla almond milk (or some Godiva chocolate liquer 😜) http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/1394

6. Essie “double breasted coat” polish – the perfect pink to hide those bruised up black and blue marathon toes and to remind me of WARMER TIMES! This color transports me to sipping a yummy frozen drink on a Caribbean beach somewhere. Think. Happy. Thoughts. Www.essie.com

hapoy shoveling for my NE friends! And a very sweet Valentine’s Day to the rest of you😍💗

BOSTON 2015!

This is an exciting post! I snagged a golden ticket! The much coveted BOSTON MARATHON BIB! The gods have answered my wishes!

My sister is running for charity this year. SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF HER! I have been helping her with her training and all that focus on a training plan gave me the serious bug. I have been training for a half marathon on Cape Cod February 22nd but with all this marathon focus I couldn’t help add in extra miles and train along with her. I’ve been getting stronger thanks to my PT and strength training. And the rubbings been coming back to me 😍  I reached out and threw a hail-Mary pass to attempt to get this bib and thought “if there’s the smallest possibility I can get one then it’s my year go for it”. And HERE IT IS BABY!!!!!!!!

to say I’m excited is an understatement – I’m finding myself being obsessed with my training – but isn’t that part of IT?

Here goes nothing. I’m up to par in week 8 of 18 week training plan!!!! Now to crush some hills!!!

Will post training updates and trials and tribs! 💙💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💛💛

Getting the bug

well luckily I’ve dodged this sniffles/boogie bug my two dudes have but I’m talking about the RUNNING BUG! Just finished a 37.5 mile week. My HIGHEST mileage week since September 2013! Feeling pretty amazing! My hip was a rockstar all week but today (my rest day) was kinda pissed at me. I did my strength exercise like a good lil patient – I know I pushed too much. Too much too soon “TMTS”. I’m a repeat offender. but yesterday was supposed to be an easy 3 miles but I got to get out in the 45* weather (fluke for Boston weather in January!) and it just felt too good and too easy to stop! Need to practice PATIENCE and not run more than I should! Argh so tempting. Don’t we all feel like that?!

Today was my off day – I went to work and they didn’t need me so I had a few mins to myself – got to go to Marathon sports to grab some new kicks! My Brooks Ghosts ate still a good choice. I’m psyched cause I love them. So I snagged a fresh new pair of 7s in hot pink to start rotating in since my 6s have about 250 miles on them.

So so back to this bug – I registered for a Hyannis Half marathon on cape cod for February 22nd! Hoping that gives me a lil racing fix for a while. 😝 my sister is training for Boston, running for a charity and I am having serious runners envy. boston is my dream. Life goal : to BQ! (I saw this years BAA jacket and I’m having a hard time forgetting about it- I’ll just have to buy it for my sis 💙)

I’ve been looking into marathons in May possibly. Maybe Vermont City Marathon? Heard great things! We will see. This year I need to focus on strength 💪💪💪💪

Hi.

Hi. I’m Courtney. I wanted to start this very amateur blog to start tracking my running, sharing my SAHM tips and share my adventures in mommyhood.

I have two sweet boys – P & L – almost2.5 y/o and a 6 month old. I am a stay at home mom (for the most part – I cameo as a nurse per diem). I pride myself on being the best mother I can be. I worry too much about how much ABCs we’re doing and if my baby’s getting enough vitamins via breastmilk  –  but I think that’s part of being a Mom. I’m obsessed with these two little men. Being a mom has made me the strongest Me I’ve ever been. I take the best care of myself and I try to be the best person for my children to look up to.

Im passionate about running. I’ve always been jealous that my husband has these passions (fishing, hunting etc). I’ve always been active. I played sports in high school and college. I’ve always ran about like 3-5 miles. I’ve ran 5ks and 10ks.  But never tapped into thatamazing world of long distance running until after I had my first son. My husband bought me a treadmill after my son was born (my idea not his, ha!) for fitness mainly.

I started running in my basement while P napped- I trained for my first half marathon on that bad boy. I was HOOKED! I put like 2000 miles on our BOB stroller. I was in the best shape of my life and I felt so strong and healthy. I trained for a marathon. I was doing my 20 milers, almost easily. I felt unstoppable. I was on pace to BQ – training for a 3:25 finish. Til one day I ran a 20 miler (too fast, stupidly) and I had throbbing hip pain all week. I was stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t run anything over 3-4 miles! I went to MD and PT. They said maybe bursitis. I tried to postpone my marathon. Ran a few 12-14 milers here and there over next few months but that hip pain was still there. I was DEVASTATED. The wind had left my sails.

Fast forward one year – I had another baby boy! I started running again and that same pain was back 😦 deep in my hip socket. I knew this wasn’t muscular or bursiitis. I went to MD again, then to ortho. Diagnosed with acetabular labral tear! Bummer. Could possibly need surgery. Howeverrrrrrrrr MRA didn’t show it. They’re hard to see on imaging but MD and PT thinking it could be a small tear – so let’s treat it conservatively first -PT- then consult ortho if needed. Great. I’d been to PT before with no avail. But this time I don’t have time for surgery. I have two small babes that need me to I’ll give it the college try. I’m 6 weeks in now and I feel the difference! I can run without pain! Whaaaat?! Strength training focus on hips glutes and core! Dig it. Here we go! I’ll do anything if I can run. So I wanna document all my progress! Call it a comeback? 😝

And I want to share what I learn being a mommy of two boys! Balancing my babes, the household, the hubby, working per diem and running. 😍😍😍😍

#running #runningmom #runner #imarunner #mom #halfmarathon #marathontraining