Don't mess with Mother Nature...

So clearly I didn't pay enough homage to Mother Nature in my last blog post as we were smacked with a snowy icy mess yesterday. While it resulted in awesome skiing conditions and a good day of snowshoeing up Wachusett mountain for Sophia & I, it was challenging conditions this morning, accompanied by a fantastic headwind for most of the run.

I scooted out to Market Basket to get my pre-blizzard shopping done and consume some fuel before heading out (something I haven't been great about historically). I managed 12.5 miles around the river, through BU - both of which were fantastically shoveled, and then made my way up through LA (Lower Allston) back around to Cambridge and home. To say that it was a LSR (Long Slow Run) is an understatement, but I figured if I could run 12 like this, then it can only get easier!!

The most important thing is I was up and on my feet moving for 1:45 - one of my longest timed-runs ever (right around my half marathon time/a little slower).

After a kick butt breakfast - 2 eggs over well, turkey sausage and 2 monster slices of Cinnamon French Toast - I'm heading outside to build snowmen with the kiddos and prepare for Monday's Blizzard. Looks like some indoor miles for the next few days.

Throughout all of this though, I never forget why I'm running: To raise $5000 for Community Cooks and build awareness of food insecurity throughout Greater Boston. I'm lucky to come home to an amazing breakfast, made with love, full of nutrition and all the stuff
that will help me be a good mom, wife, human and employee. Not everyone is so lucky - and especially with the impending storm, where their access may be severely limited or have a number of the shelters overflowing.

Please take a moment to support my run and Thank You!!

The Training is On! Thanks Mother Nature

I'm now officially 3 weeks into my training and less than 100 days away from the marathon. So far, training is going really well and I've been highly lucky in the land of mother nature.
I scored a 30+ degree day for my long run of 10miles this past Sunday - what a treat!

What I am finding is that work and life make squeezing in training (and staying awake afterwards!) quite interesting. Work took me to Dallas last week, where I craftily scored a Westin hotel through Hotwire.

The Westin hotels are fantastic to me because of their partnership with New Balance. They have created an environment conducive to runners staying at their hotels - right down to lending gear and a map with various distances you can run in the area during your stay. I got to squeeze in 2 runs along the river in the Park Central area. No hat or gloves required! And, it made for a much more productive business trip (And a great nap on the plane on the ride home.)

My biggest challenge is going to be breaking the 13.1 mile mark in my long run. This is the longest run(a half-marathon) I've ever done before. A whole different story (mental or other) to run 2 hours+. Luckily, I have a few more weeks till I get to the big time.

Let's hope mother nature cooperates!! And please support my goal to raise $5000 to support Community Cooks.

What did you do this morning???

I rocked the bitter cold 15 degree weather to train for the 2015 Boston Marathon run for Community Cooks. 4.2 miles - Check me out post-run!