Typical Day - When Teaching

Since I am fortunate enough to be taking a leave from my teaching position at Herricks next year to train for the Olympic Trials, I thought it might be fun to give you an idea of what a typical day looks like for me right now.  Then in a few months once I have settled into a training routine I can do the same and compare the two.  So here it is:

4:30am - Wake up, stretch, drink a bunch of water
5:30-6:30am - 8 mile easy run
6:30am - Eat Breakfast, Get ready for Work, Drive to work
7:30am-2:30pm - Teach Band to 3rd-5th Graders!
2:30pm - Drive to running spot
3:00pm-5:30pm - Stretch, Workout (since I am racing on Saturday I had a lighter workout today, 4 mile warm up, Drills and Strides, 3x1 mile at Threshold Pace with 1 minute recovery, 4x200 meters at Repetition Pace with 200 meter recovery, 4 mile cool down = 12 miles), Stretch
5:30-6:30pm - Strength Training at Gym
6:30pm - Drive Home
7:00pm-8:00pm - Cook Dinner and Eat it! (Polenta with Swiss chard and roasted turnips, yay for the Farmer's Market!)
8:00pm-10:00pm - Core Routine and Strength Training at Home
10:00pm - Get Ready for Bed
10:30pm-4:30am - Sleep 6 Hours

So here is a list of things that will hopefully be different the next time I take a look at my typical routine:
1.  9-10 hours of sleep
2.  A Nap
3.  Pool Movement Activities (I have found that to help me a lot with recovery)
4.  Ice Bath
5.  Massage/ART (I do this now just not today (Monday-ART and Wednesday-Massage this week, but I need to remember it is an essential part of my recovery)
6.  1-2 hours each day to sit with my feet up and read, research, relax, RECOVER

I am sure I will think of more!  Thanks for reading!

My Mission

We all have a mission, and mine right now is to run fast and enjoy the journey but I have a bigger mission than running a PR.  My bigger goal right now is to INSPIRE.  Inspire someone, anyone, just one person to do something they didn't think they could do.  Inspire one person to reach for a dream they have stuffed under their pillow and forgotten about.  Inspire one person to have the courage to show everyone you can do it.  Inspire one person to take that risk that others shy away from.  Inspire one person to realize no matter how many times you fall, every time you stand up you are stronger than you were before. 

So my first way to hopefully inspire someone is this Saturday, June 11th at the Harry O'Neill Memorial 5k.  Come out this weekend and walk, trot, jog, or run while showing your support for the Herricks Community.  I will be there on Saturday, not running, but cheering you on through the finish.  Not only is there a 5k run at 9:30am, but there are fun runs for kids of all ages beginning at 10:30am.  Bring the whole family and celebrate being healthy and active.  This is the perfect excuse to get outside and lace up those shoes.  Josh Merlis, of ARE Event Productions is doing the timing so we are guaranteed a great time!  No need to be fast, just come out and find the joy in the Herricks Community and being active!  Hopefully, one person will be inspired to roll out of bed a little bit earlier on Saturday.  Online registration is now closed, but you can register the day of so just come to the Herricks High School and bring a friend!

One step at a time..

So I will begin by telling you that one of my biggest running inspirations is the legendary Jack Daniels.  His book Daniels' Running Formula is a must have in any runner's library, and one that I use practically every day.  I saw a great interview with him (you should watch it here) on mental fatigue.  He describes how important it is to focus on what you are doing that moment.  Instead of thinking you have to run a whole 5k, just think 1 mile at a time, or 400 meters at a time, or even better yet 1 step at a time.  Tomorrow I am going to run Freihofer's Run for Women (an event that I ran last year and really enjoyed), but I am not going to run a 5k, instead I am going to run one step at a time!  So lace up your shoes and go out for a run, but just do it step by step.