My A to Z tips for running, our last full day in Cali and she’s back!

We had great plans to wake up early and drive to Muir Woods to go explore but then sleeping in turned out to be a much better idea.  Of all the days of the year to not have kids with us, yesterday was probably the best one because of Daylights Saving:)  No little alarm clocks ha.  We sure missed them though because it feels like on Sundays we spend the most time all together.

Once we finally woke up, we made it to brunch at Bill’s Cafe.  The wait is always really long there but the food is worth it.

We started out with a ton of fruit.

And then our french toast came.  Andrew had his first ever cinnamon roll french toast (they make the cinnamon roll there and dip it in eggs and grill it… frosting is on the inside of the cinnamon roll).  He said he won’t be able to go back to normal french toast after this one.

And I had berry french toast and some hash browns.  It was breakfast and lunch for us and it was delicious.  Also, it is very nice that Andrew and I are both left handed.. it makes sitting next to each other at restaurants easier.

We did a little walk around the area while we were there.   PPS I swear I brought a brush to California but I guess I didn’t use it.

Our pre-church selfie looked a bit different than normal:)

And after church we had nothing to do.  Andrew was feeling a run so we went out for 3 miles (I don’t normally run on Sundays but sometimes I do when I’m out of town).  It was 76 degrees.  It hurt.  It reminded me of what is up ahead in July and August in Utah.  Thank you hotel for having cold water at your front door.

And then we picked up Brooke and the reunions are always so sweet.

My aunt had us over for an amazing dinner together.  LASAGNA.

And my heart melted when Brooke was holding onto my arm during dinner.

Loving that it was still light at 7:30 pm.

And our last stop for the night was to Jessie’s house and Brooke was in heaven in the toy room.

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I decided it might be a fun way to organize some of my favorite running tips in an A to Z way… here we go:

Achilles heel!  Know your achilles heel when it comes to running… if you get injured doing any more than x amount of miles a week then don’t do it.  Josse has had ankle problems in the past and trail running doesn’t help so she is still waiting a little bit to do them.  I know that when I run on the track too much that going in circles over and over again causes IT Band pain for me.  I know my plantar doesn’t like certain types of shoes so I avoid them.  Also, work towards strengthening your achilles heel (aka I need to race some 5ks cause they freak me out).

Break free of defining yourself by your times, workouts, body… you are so much more than those things.  Your worth has nothing to do with those things.  I also notice the more I break away from defining myself and putting a lot of stress on myself about those things, the more my times improve, I enjoy running more and I just focus on progressing.

Count your small successes, those are the things that get you to your bigger goals.  Celebrate them too (why do you think I eat so many donuts?)

Double knot your shoes on race day… I’ve learned this tip the hard way a few times and had to stop (and convince myself to start again) during a race to tie them.

Easy days.  Don’t doubt them.  You can read about easy running benefits HERE!  Don’t do the mid-zone for your easy runs because before you know it, you will be burnt out and/or get injured.  Run the easy days easy so you can run the hard days hard.

Forget your watch some days!  Run without technology and run according to feel every now and then.   Listen to your footsteps and your breathing, focus on your form or just forget everything and run to run.

Go with what YOU know.  Not what some person on Instagram does or what the people at the running store tell you to do, find the things that work best for you and stick with them.  Whether that be mileage, gear, cross-training, racing strategy or nutrition.

HARD THINGS.  Repeat to yourself over and over again that ‘I CAN DO HARD THINGS.’  This mantra has gotten me through a lot of really hard workouts.  Reminding myself that I have done hard things in life and in my workouts that reminds me that I’m strong enough to keep going!

Ice baths—>  I don’t know if there is any scientific proof to say whether or not these are truly effective for runners BUT I THINK they are:)  I notice a huge reduction in soreness if I take an ice bath after a hard workout or race.  Less sore = get back to the hard stuff sooner and recover quicker.

Jogging strollers…  Such a great tool for running moms and dads:)  Train with that jogging stroller and then race day will feel like a piece of cake when you aren’t pushing your little one on the course.  BUT ease into stroller running and don’t do every run with one.  I had an IT Band injury from using the running stroller too much and for too many miles because running with a stroller does change your form.  PS here are my tips for running with a jogging stroller.

Kill time when you are really hurting by counting steps.  I do this towards the end of a race.  I focus on counting my steps instead of how tired I am and I think it helps. Find things that distract you like telling yourself that you are comfortable over and over again or thinking about your people… that will help those miles click by when you are struggling.

Log your miles/how you feel/what your workouts are/etc, so you can see where things go right and where things go wrong.  You can look over everything the week before a race and have confidence in your running.

Mix up your training… monotony kills.  New routes, new shoes, new terrains, new workouts, new treadmill at the gym… switch things up and keep it interesting.  Even try running at different times of day if you can.

Never forget why you started running and go back to that when running motivation hits an all-time low.

One mile at a time!  During a race, a hard workout, a long run or a day that you just feel off, don’t think of how many more repeats you have or how many more miles you have until the finish line.  Think about where you are now and rocking that mile and when you get to the next mile, then think about that one.

Pick out someone ahead of you in a race and pretend that you have a rope tied to them.   Visualize yourself pulling the rope so that you get closer and closer to that person:)  That always helps me to speed up during a race when I need something extra.

Quit the comparing… to your old self, to the person on Facebook, or to the person next to you during a race.  As soon as I start comparing, I stop having fun.

Raise your arms to fix your form during a run.  I find myself slouching towards the end of a run but then I lift my arms straight up in the air and boom, it re-stacks everything nicely.  My second R tip is to run with others occasionally if you can… they can help you to get faster (by chasing after them) or help you to stick to your easy paces (by reminding you to go slower).  You get to have awesome conversations and realize you aren’t ‘crazy’ for your running obsession… there are others just like you.

See success—>  “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t— you’re right.” -Henry Ford.  See the success in your running and you’ll hit those goals.

Tangents… learn how to run the tangents of a course correctly so that you aren’t adding extra distance to your already long distance race.  HERE is a great place to learn all about running the tangents.

Utilize your resources.  Talk to other runners about what they have learned!! The internet can be an awesome tool (use filters wisely on this one) for advice.  Talk to coaches.  Research the gear you want to use.  Read about elite athletes and how they have dealt with not hitting goals or injuries.  There is a lot out there to help your running, find it!

Visualize your success.  This kind of goes with see success, but really visualize things.  A big race coming up?  Visualize yourself throughout the race staying positive, hitting your paces and having a strong finish.  Nervous about a hard workout?  Visualize it going well and I guarantee it will go a lot better than if we just sit there stressing out about it.

WONDER.  Wonder about your running potential.  Think about what you are truly capable of doing.  Do not underestimate how many great things are up ahead for you.  Hope is your weapon:)

X—> X-train!! Thanks to Madeline for this one:)   Make sure you are working those other muscle groups too!

YOGOB= You only get one body.  So train smart, fuel it properly and move it in healthy amounts.  We’ve got to take good care of the one body we get.  That was one realization that I had that helped me to get my over-exercising under control.

Zipper your shorts/tights pockets well… I’ve lost a car key or two from not zippering correctly.

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What was the best part of your weekend?

Who uses a running stroller?  Who has in the past?

Any tips to add to the list that you’ve learned?

What is your running achilles heel?