Last Days of Summer - My pefect outfit for running in the heat

As I write this  blog post on September 13th, there seems to be zero relief in the summer heat here in Florida. I am a born and raised Floridian and I swear this has been the longest, hottest, most humid summer in memory. Then again, I say that same statement every year! We are still in the 90's with 80% humidity so imagine what July and August were like.

If you are looking into getting into running, there are plenty of tips out there - how to train for a 5K, what kind of shoes to wear, etc. However, proper apparel is one thing that tends to be overlooked. I recently took a beach run with my best friend Keri and while it was brutally hot outside, my outfit did not cause any issues. Today I want to share my perfect warm weather running outfit with you.

Shorts:
Ladies - wearing the right shorts for your body type is just as important as wearing a properly fitted sports bra. I have seen soooo many girls wearing shorts that are in style (too short / too tight for their frame) or too big - both of which brings an unwanted party to the shower: chafing. Aside from the length, the waist band is a big deal for me. I cannot stand anything that digs into my stomach - especially while running. However, you cannot have the band be too big or you will be pulling your shorts up while running and that is not fun for anyone. Of all the shorts I have recently tried - Brooks Chaser 5" Running Shorts are my favorite. They are the perfect fit - not too short, not too long and are a lightweight moisture-wicking material. My favorite feature of these is their waist band. It is super wide, which helps with the digging and one of the two pockets is sweat resistant which perfectly fits my iPhone 6.

Shirt:
Do not make the rookie mistake of wearing a dark cotton shirt in the heat. Or any cotton shirt for that matter. You need a breathable material, one that has moisture-wicking fabric and is semi-fitted. For me, semi-fitted shirts help keep me cool - plus they are my bestie on those days I feel a bit bloated. The shirt I'm wearing is Brooks Ghost Racerback in Bloom Scape - and it is ON SALE FOR $25! One of the (only) perks of being a Florida runner is taking advantage of the many Spring/Summer apparel sales that take place throughout the year. The Ghost Racerback features Brooks DriLayer® fabric and it is not only featherweight and drywicking, but it also contains a touch of linen which helps keep you cool.

Hats:
While the photo's in this post do not show it, 99% of the time, you will find me wearing a hat while running. In the summer, a visor is my go to as it keeps my head cool. While many hats state they are made to beat the heat, anything that covers my scalp tends to keep to keep the heat in - which causes me to overheat. I just said heat 3 times in one sentence! Hats / Visors are great for keeping the sun off your face (be sure to still wear sweat resistant sunscreen) and protect you during the rain. Brooks Sherpa Visor is made with the same DriLayer® stretch woven fabric as I mentioned above. I usually don't leave home without headgear but on this particular day, I just so happened to forget it - and I got sunburned. Fail.

Sports Bra:
One item that tends to go overlooked when thinking about heat gear is sports bras. You've got to find one that will give you support while keeping you cool and dry. Brooks Uplift Crossback Sports Bra does exactly this. When shopping for sports bra's, I have to have some padding - or little will be left to the imagination. With the contoured cups, it is perfect for me while being modest. The cross-back is made of powermesh straps which helps with ventilation. My favorite feature is the DriLayer® Adapt bottom band - it molds to your body which gives you a personalized fit. AND IT IS ALSO ON SALE! Be sure to read the sizes before ordering - while I am always a medium, and this bra comes in sizes S-XL - it is based on cup sizes. So the medium was made for cup sizes A/B which meant I needed a Large which was C/D.

Embrace your surroundings:
Running in 100 degree heat and awful humidity can take a toll on you. I always try to find the positive in the situation, such as having a beautiful setting. While I don't get to experience running on the beach as often as I used to, it is one of my favorite things to do while visiting home - well more like running to the beach, then taking a few minutes to walk on the beach!

Hydration:
The most important thing you can do is hydrate. I always run with a water belt - it is like my security blanket. I have also ran with a hand held water bottle but personally wasn't my favorite. Once you get used to a water belt, it will become your new best friend. I always freeze three of my four bottles on long runs - as they will be thawed out before I get to them.

Embrace your surroundings:
Running in 100 degree heat and awful humidity can take a toll on you. I always try to find the positive in the situation, such as having a beautiful setting. While I don't get to experience running on the beach as often as I used to, it is one of my favorite things to do while visiting home - well more like running to the beach, then taking a few minutes to walk on the beach!

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer! Although I will be rocking the shorts and tank tops for a few more months, I very much look forward to running in Paris in one week! The Disneyland Paris Half Marathon weather is looking to be around 55 at the start of the race, couldn't ask for better weather. Hard to believe that time is finally here. I have been distant over the past few months on this blog - buying a new house (and refurbishing it) while traveling for work has definitely taken a toll on me - but I am glad to be getting back into the swing!

Thank you to Brooks for providing me this outfit for this post. As always, all opinions are my own. 

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Training Begins today for Disneyland Paris Half Marathon

It's hard to believe we are a little more than three months away from heading back to Europe. When we visited Paris as part of our European honeymoon in 2014, I never thought we would get a chance to go back. Yet here we are, planning our third trip to Europe within 2 years to run the inagural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon! I'm blessed for our many travel adventures together and grateful to have married someone who equally enthusiastic about traveling as I am.

There will be some things I will do different for Disneyland Paris Half Marathon.... it all starts revamping our training.

Since I ran the Dublin Marathon with ASICS last year, I am well aware of the toll it takes on your body to fly international and run a long distance race. While we can't do much about the jet lag, we will be sure to train hard leading up to the race. Training has always been my downfall and I do just enough to finish uninjured. However, being we start our trip with the half marathon, we have to be fully conditioned and I don't want exhaustion or sore muscles to ruin any part of our trip.

Our training plan was supposed to kick off this morning with a 45 minute run but Tropical Storm Colin had different plans. Instead, I will visit my old friend the treadmill later this afternoon. The plan we will use is a modified version of Jeff Galloway's Wine and Dine plan for intermediate runners.

One of the many reasons I love Galloway's plan is that it doesn't take up too much time during the week. I am traveling for work now and 45 minutes is easily doable on a treadmill if need be. Our biggest change will be waking up in the mornings and getting the weekly runs over with before work.

We chose to start our training over from scratch vs. going from where we are currently conditioned. When we first started running in 2012, both of us were fully committed to the training plan. Over the years, we would easily skip a short distance and eventually end up winging our training plan. Starting over from scratch will hopefully keep both of us on track and dedicated to training.

We are also incorporating bi-weekly speed work starting in July. This is new for us - although we've done interval training in the past, it wasn't set up on a 800 meter distance.

Have you ever started over training from scratch?

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Cucina del Capitano on Carnival Sunshine #CruisingCarnival

For our one year wedding anniversary, my husband and I went on the incredible Carnival Sunshine. This was my 11th cruise and my husbands first. However, all 10 cruises I had been on prior were smaller ships so this was my first time at sea with a multitude of entertainment and dining options.

There's one thing you wont do on the Carnival Sunshine - go hungry. I'm not talking about the buffets either. The first night of our anniversary, we were treated to dinner at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, which you can read all about by clicking here.  During our 5 night cruise, we only had dinner once at the main dining room. We chose the enhanced dining options the other nights and left very impressed.

Today I am reviewing the Italian restaurant on board, Cucina del Capitano. When you board the ship, I would strongly suggest you take a look at the specialty dining options and make your reservations early. Also be sure to ask for a seat overlooking the water!

Cucina del Capitano
Gabe and I ate at Cucina del Captiano on our second night at sea. It was a great place to carbload for marathon training on a cruise. This dinner came at a cost of $15 a person and you were able to each select an appetizer, an entree and a desert.

Starters:
Calamari Fitti:
Calamari rings, charred lime and sea salt
Il Capitano's Signature Arancini: Fried Risotto Balls, arugula, shaved Parmesan and tomato sauce.

Both were very good and cooked to perfection. I liked both of these dishes equally and would order them again.

Entrees 
Side of Spaghetti with Captain's Tomato Sauce
Brasato al Barolo:
Braised short ribs in a rich red Barolo wine sauce. Topped with crusted Almond's
Gamberetti Alla Pizzaiola:
Grilled shrimp with stewed mushrooms and peppers.

I had a difficult time selecting a entree. I wanted everything....Spaghetti Carbonara, Chicken Parmesean, Nona's Linguine & Meatballs. I have no idea how we ended up with the shrimp dish but it was a very good selection. The short rib was perfectly tender and full of flavor. The side of Spaghetti did not disappoint!

Dessert
Magic Tiramisu
Sicilian Cannoli

Both classic Italian desserts were perfect. I wanted to go back nightly for cannoli's. The Espresso was the perfect ending to this Italian meal.

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10 tips for Marathon Training while on a cruise #CruisingCarnival

You guys, I leave for Ireland 2 weeks from tomorrow!!! I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that the Dublin Marathon is less than 3 weeks away. My husband and I returned home on Friday after being at sea for 5 nights on board the amazing Carnival Sunshine for our 1st year anniversary trip. The Sunshine was by far the best cruise I have been on.

I have had to learn how to marathon training while traveling. Between being on the road for work and a few getaways, my training schedule had to be modified. While working, it is likely I will have dinners following work and will not get home until after a 12 hour day at work. I am not a morning person, no matter how hard I have tried. My once least favorite word, Treadmill, became my best friend.

10 tips for Marathon Training on a Cruise

1. Create a training schedule before you depart, Print it out and bring it with you. Prior to leaving, you will be aware of your itinerary by choosing which days you will run/workout/stretch, etc. Tape this on your mirror so you see it everyday to keep yourself accountable. 
2. Room Service: Order room service on days you are training. Set your breakfast for 45 minutes prior to your workout. The room service attendants will be sure you are served (they called my room 4x) therefor, you are sure to wake up. Speaking of room service, while you are able to order from a limited menu, they have a runners smorgasbord. My favorite: bagels and you can write in a request for peanut butter!!! Include bananas, honey and other runner happy items are available! If you bring on protein shake powder, be sure to get your milk of choice.  
   
3. ALWAYS Take the stairs. Let's face it, cruises have a lot of things you can cheat on. Between boat drinks and 24-7 eats, you are likely to gain a few pounds on a cruise. The stairs will help, trust me. 
4. Scout out the gym or running track prior to the first run. While I LOVED the Carnival Sunshine, the outdoor track ran around the kids camp section (which we were frequent visitors to, hello giant twister and Putt-Putt!). I decided to do my training on a treadmill. Thankfully Carnival has Lifesfitness machines and I ran the Grand Canyon while at sea. 
   
5. Bring ziplock bags and ask your room Stewart to bring plenty of ice. If you ask nicely, they will bring a plastic bucket of ice, twice daily to your room. Make yourself ice packs after doing your training run - and reward yourself with a trip to the hot tub, with a margarita in hand :) 
6. Schedule a Yoga class - cruises have multiple classes which you can take part of. A nice stretch at sea is a wonderful treat.
   
7. If you have a long run scheduled, carb load with Italian food. If you don't see anything on the menu, ask your server if there is anything they can offer you (tell them you are training for a marathon). On the Carnival Sunshine, we were lucky enough to have an Italian Restaurant onboard. I will be sharing my review from there shortly!
8. HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE. Carnival recently changed their beverage policy and by doing so, they will allow you to pre-purchase a 12 pack of water for $2.99 prior to boarding. We bought two cases and were sure to drink our water. 
9. RELAX don't do it, when you want to go to it: Cruises can be overwhelming. You can overdo it and need a vacation from your vacation. Take an hour out of each day to relax, however you see fit. I am not a napper - in fact, I only nap when I am sick. However, I took a nap each day of our cruise and I finally felt relaxation. The Serenity deck on Carnival is a great option for those not wanting to sleep at sea. 
10. Book a massage! The spa's services available on the ship are amazing. They have daily specials, especially during days at sea.

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September Marathon Training Plan - #MyASICS

September? How on earth is it September? While many locations throughout the US are starting to see the signs of Fall, those of us in FL are still looking at many weeks of humidity in our future. The past few weeks have been brutal here - 100% humidity mixed with constant rain equals weather which feels like it's in the 110's. This impacts breathing on long runs and quite frankly, I am sick of running with what feels like a refrigerator strapped to my chest. One thing I have had to do is being sure to properly hydrate. I do not recall last year or the year prior being anything like this (I've lived in FL my whole life). To say I am looking forward to cooler temps is a slight understatement!!

Heat and humidity aside, September is going to be an amazing month. For one, my husband and I will be celebrating our one year wedding anniversary at the end of the month! This means marathon training at sea during our anniversary cruise aboard the Carnival Sunshine. That means I get extra visits Guy's Burger Joint, right? This will not be my first time spending a big vacation marathon training (see: marathon training on your honeymoon).

On a side note - did you see the newly released ASICS Gel Kayano 22? I am slightly obsessed with the Lite Show (top left photo above)! I am super excited to try out the Kayano 22 - be sure to look out for a review over the next month. Check out a few of the men's options below, I may be able to convert my husband to an ASICS boy after all:

So my September Marathon plan via the myASICS app is below. The plan I have from Coach Kastor is a bit different from this one with more long runs on the weekends. I will do a mix between Coach Kastors plan and the one below (especially during the week of our anniversary cruise).

Week 1:

Day's 1-5 are easy. Not much to report on this week. I will add in some yoga for running and some extra cross fit. In a side note, when we were in New Orleans two weeks ago, I broke a 5K PR on the treadmill. I am a proud turtle runner and have never broken a 30 minute PR yet after 3 years of running, I finally did it.

Week 2:

The big difference between this week and my plan from Coach Kastor is that one says a 6.5 comfortable run on Sunday vs. the other which has me doing 10 miles with 4-5 at goal marathon pace (11 minute mile). I will be traveling on Wednesday and Thursday this week so I will need to adjust my "days off".

Week 3:

Ugh. While I have finished 4 half marathons, I loathe training runs over 14 miles. I can handle it when you have thousands of people cheering you on, running with peers and collecting a medal at the end. However, running in your neighborhood for this long is not fun. Days like this, I listen to audio books (we recently finished Girl on the Train) or mixing up my music with ASICS #GoRunIt playlist on Spotify. Week 3 is on par with what my previous weeks have looked like with the exception of Sunday the 13th. My plan with Coach Kastor wants me to do 16-17 miles. Oye.

Week 4:

I feel like a broken record. Same thing for this week as the last 3. Instead of 15.5 miles on the 20th, Coach Kastor wants me to do 18-19 miles.

Finally week 5:

I started this screen shot on September 27th, which is our one anniversary and the day we leave on our 5 night cruise. I will be blogging about tips on marathon training on a cruise. It seems myASICS was thinking ahead when they planned this weekend. Coach Kastor was nice with an 8 mile run on October 1st vs. 4.5 miles. I will be sure we get our mileage in this week.

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Train with Coach Kastor for your next Marathon - ASICS 12 week Marathon Training Plan

One of the many things I am blessed by my partnership with ASICS America is being coached by professional Marathon Coach Andrew Kastor. He helped me achieve the impossible at 2014 with the TCS NYC Marathon. I only had two months to train and within those two months, my destination wedding and two week long honeymoon. I still managed to pull of a 35 minute PR with non favorable weather conditions. Moving forward to 2015, Coach Kastor is currently working to get me ready for the Dublin Marathon (10 weeks from today!).

Now Coach Kastor can help achieve your Marathon goals too! He worked with ASICS to create a 12 week marathon training guide which you can use along with the MyASICS app (which I strongly suggest) to personalize with your age, gender and specific race goals.

2014 #TeamASICS NYC Marathon team with Coach Andrew Kastor & his wife, Olympic Medalist & American Record Holder Deena Kastor

Click here to be taken to ASICS 12 Week Marathon Training Guide if you are having problems reading the one below. This is a fantastic 12 week plan that will help you achieve your specific goals. Along with the plan, Coach Kastor also gave 10 Marathon training tips below.

PROFESSIONAL MARATHON COACH KASTOR’S TRAINING TIPS

1. Train on the right surface
Coach Kastor explains that during most of your training, it’s important to run on a surface that is similar to the one that you will encounter on race day. This surface is typically pavement, which causes the mid-sole of your shoe to breakdown, so make sure to replace your training shoes every 250-300 miles if training mainly on pavement.

2. Mix up your surfaces
Change up your surfaces (dirt or trail) during mid-week training sessions to diffuse the impact on your body. Running on grass, wet sand, dirt trails or tracks will activate and strengthen different muscles, helping prevent injury and fatigue. Also train for hills to practice running down them softly, which reduces the impact on your body.

3. Train at a variety of speeds
Focus most of your marathon training at a comfortable, steady pace, but add quick, short distance strides (gentle sprints) into your various sessions. Incorporating strides improves speed development, muscular power, stride length and flexibility, helping to keep you injury free.

4. Test your performance to reach your goal
Calculate your goal marathon race pace with MyASICS and evaluate if this pace is too difficult to maintain during your Goal Marathon Race Pace Runs (GMRP). Your pace should be comfortable, so if you can’t maintain this pace, add 10-15 seconds per mile the next week to your GMRP run and reevaluate your goal pace for the marathon.

5. Eat and drink like you would on race day
Practice drinking the same fluids (electrolyte-replacement drinks), gels, blocks or beans that you will be taking on race day to teach your body to process and digest comfortably before race day. You should also try eating the exact meal that you will ingest the morning of the race during your final runs.

6. Break in your race day shoes
Log 50-100 miles in your race day shoes prior to running the marathon. Train in your planned race day shoe/sock combination during the last few weeks leading up to your race. This will help ensure that you have happy feet for all 26.2 miles!

7. Get out of your sweaty clothes
Sitting around in your sweaty clothes tends to rapidly cool down your body and causes your muscles to tighten or seize up, leading to injuries. Slip into some dry workout gear to keep you dry and injury free.

8. Make time and arrangements to adequately recover
Massage therapy, cool baths, sleep and nutrition are critical to helping your body rebuild itself during your rigorous marathon training schedule. If you don’t have the budget for professional massages, soaking in cool (50-55 degree) water for 10-15 minutes and then elevating your feet will help reduce inflammation and speed the recovery any damaged tissues.

9. Mentally prepare yourself for race day
If you’ve been keeping a training log, revisit it to remind yourself of the dedication and hard work you’ve put forth to come this far. Knowing how much you have prepared will boost your confidence going into the race.

10. Make the most out of last days leading up to race
Rest, relax, eat well, stay hydrated, sleep, and participate in activities that help you take your mind of the big task ahead.

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August Marathon Training Plan and the Tampa Flood #GoRunIt

Who else doesn't understand how August got here so fast? I say it every year, but this year has gone by faster than any other - along with being the hottest summer ever.

Tampa made headline news the other day due to the amount of rain and flooding we've had. Gabe and I survived unscathed but today is the first time I have seen the sun in over 2 weeks. I understand how vampires feel. The photo on the left is Bayshore Blvd, where go to I run anything over 3 miles. The top right photo is Kennedy Blvd, one of our main streets in Tampa and the photo on the bottom right is Dale Mabry, our other main street (and across from Fresh Market, where we do most of our grocery shopping). It's been an interesting few time but the water is draining, most of the roads are reopened and I finally got to run outside this morning!

These photos were posted on Twitter and Facebook by local residents, shared by news sources in Tampa. 

I guess one could say all this rain is getting me ready for the Dublin. The Dublin Marathon is less than 12 weeks to go!!! While I wish I could say training is going great, it is just going OK. I missed a few runs in July but was sure to make up any missed mileage with walking. I was in NYC two weeks ago for a conference and there was no time to get in my mileage, so instead of taking a taxi or subway everywhere, we walked.

Here is my August Marathon training schedule from the My ASICS App. If you are looking to train for a new distance, I strongly suggest downloading and using this free app. It is a great training tool. My August plan will be modified a bit when I get my training plan from Coach Andrew Kastor.

Week 1: Well, I started August off with a sad face - I missed Sunday's 11 miler. This was a Crucial one too. So I did 3 miles on Monday which was a rest day, added 2 miles on my 3 miler this morning. Not ideal but with the flooding and no access to our gym on Sunday, I didn't have much of a choice.

Week 2: This week is pretty easy. When I spoke to Coach Kastor a few weeks ago, he did mention he was going to beef up my training schedule a bit so I have a feeling weeks like this are gone from my future.

Week 3: I haven't seen 13.1 miles since the Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon in March! This is when I am jealous of those who live up north. If I am putting the miles in for a 13.1, I want a medal. Looks like I am going to find me a cool virtual race to run! I mentioned the heat at the beginning of this post. It has been miserable in FL this summer and the heat and humidity makes it nearly impossible to breath. When I tried using this as an excuse to Coach Kastor, he told me that training in the humidity will prepare me just as if I were training in the mountains. I try to think about that when I feel like keeling over but then I get jealous of those in the mountains and snow.

Week 4: Looks like I will be finding another virtual half to run this week. If anyone knows of cool ones in August, please let me know!

In other news, I just bought a new Nathan water belt. Zulily has them massively marked down and I have been eyeing this one for ages. Normally $55 marked down to $29.99. Click here!

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July Marathon Training with My ASICS #GoRunIt

Goodbye June - hello July, 100 degrees, awful humidity and daily rain. Oh and hello treadmill. I will sadly say my June training was not on par. I have 101 valid excuses but they are just that - excuses. I haven't ran in two weeks and here is why - I worked 63 hours the week of June 16th. Exhaustion is a understatement. The following week, I had dental surgery, which set me back way further than I anticipated. While my Dentist said I could run the day after surgery, my nutrition hasn't been on par being I have 20 stitches in the roof of my mouth and cannot eat.

Speaking of Dublin, who else is watching the Bachelorette?! Talk about the worst dates ever. However, I was very excited to see they went to Dublin.

Sly switch of subject and excuses aside, July is here in full force and I am within the 4 month window to marathon #5, The Dublin Marathon. Before I talk about my July training plan, I want to take a second and swoon over the new and soon to be released ASICS Gel Nimbus 17 colors I found on Running Warehouses website. I MUST have the top left shoe. The all teal shoe on the bottom left is the Gel Nimbus 17 Lite Show. I have the Nimbus 16 version and love them for running in the dark.

Moving onto my training schedule for July. I have yet to start training with Coach Andrew Kastor so I am still using the My ASICS training app. I strongly suggest this free app to anyone training for a 5K up to a Full Marathon. I do need some motivation in my life right now. This photo is on my wall, reminding me to get out there and run, even if I don't want to (which is most of the time right now). I've been given an amazing opportunity to run the Dublin Marathon with ASICS and I need to stop making excuses.

WEEK 1

I am not looking forward to running 8.5 miles the Sunday following 4th of July. Not by any means. I am likely splitting this one up - there is a 4 mile race in Daytona Beach on Saturday which I may do, then do the other 4.5 on Sunday.

WEEK 2
Another 8.5 mile run on Sunday - this will be the first time I have ever had a long training run alone. My husband typically trains with me but he has to work every weekend in July. This may be a day that I download a chick flick on my iPad and pay a visit the treadmill.

WEEK 3
This week will be my most difficult of all. I will be in NYC attending BlogHer and wont get back until late on Saturday. Followed by another 8.5 mile run on Sunday. It could be worse - it could be a 14 mile training run.

WEEK 4 
My best friend will be in town visiting me this weekend - she got lucky.

WEEK 5
Nothing much to report on week 5 other than I will be in the 3 month window of Dublin at this time.

When you are feeling unmotivated to lace up your shoes, where do you find that burst of motivation from?

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June Marathon Training with MY ASICS app

It's HOT. I get red faced within minutes of running outside and have learned to appreciate the treadmill a few times a week. If you are training in the summer heat, be sure to wear the appropriate running gear up so you do not get overheated. Light colors and moisture wicking materials are key. I am loving ASICS new line of running apparel, especially the outfit below. 

ASICS Summer running 

ASICS America | Shop Everysport™ Short
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ASICS America | Shop Emma™ Racerback
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ASICS America | Shop GEL-Nimbus 17 | Womens Running Footwear
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ASICS America | Shop ASICS® Adjust™ Bra
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In May, I switched up my marathon training plan for the Dublin Marathon. So far, I am thrilled with the transition and strongly suggest the MY ASICS app to any runner. You can use this FREE app to train for any distance - a 5K to a Marathon. It is simple to use and will calculate a plan for you based on your gender, age and running history. Say you want to run a sub 5:00 marathon and can currently run a 2:30 half marathon. You put that information in, along with your race day and you will receive a training plan. 

Upon receiving my plan, I had a hard time adjusting to running much slower than my normal pace. There is science behind this as MY ASICS was designed on three principals:  

Structure your training - Maximize training results by running the right distance at the right pace on the right day.

Build your capacity - Gradually increase your anaerobic threshold with each run by matching running pace to your current level.

Focus your goals - Set measurable goals and track your progress towards them with performance forecasting.

Here is my June marathon training plan broken down week by week:

There are 6 key phrases to build the running skills, helping you reach your goal. Preconditioning, Getting Faster, Going Further, Race Simulation, Tapering & Race Day, Recovery. Honestly, with the heat we are having in FL right now and knowing it will only get hotter as the months go on, I am fine with taking more walk breaks. Even with extended walk breaks, I am unable to run at the pace suggested for my 3 mile jog days. Those days will be faster than suggested. 

One thing that I found interesting about this plan is that I don't have any double digit runs until August. Given the summer heat, I am perfectly fine with this. The MY ASICS methodology was refined by training thousands of runners at ASICS Institute of Sports Science. 

The thing I love most about the plan - it's not redundant. I am not going to be running on the same day each week. With my former training plan, I would dread certain days, knowing well in advance they were long run days. 

You are able to sync your training plan to your phones calendar, to help remind you what miles to run each day. You can also sign up to receive emails from ASICS, reminding you to run.  

Once you are ready to run, you hit the start button on your app's page. Today is a rest day for me, so the screen shot notes Rest. If today were a scheduled run day, it would have my miles and pace up top. You can also choose to run a Steady Pace or 1 mile splits for speed work. 

My longest run in June is 8.5 miles on the 21st. This is good timing as that is the Sunday following Cupcake Lovers Weekend at Hilton Bonnet Creek and I am quite certain I will have some calories to run off. 

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