We Bought a Car, My HILL Tips & it is Time to PARTY!

I ran in the wind.  After getting Brooke off to school and seeing every flag in the air blowing around like crazy I thought the treadmill was going to save me from dealing with the wind.  And then I told myself to toughen up and deal with it.  I’m so happy I did get out there.  It is another small deposit into my Mt Charleston half marathon account that I’ve been working on.

I’m really into hill work this time around with my running.  My theory (it’s very scientific;) behind why I’m wanting to run all of the hills = my best races always happen after running a lot of hills during training and the races where I don’t hit my goals = 0 hill work.

I did a few miles of running (with some hills) and then got to my hill repeat hill.  It is about .2 miles long and it makes me BURN.  I decided to do my ‘hill sprint’ based on effort rather than pace and that worked well for me.   I did 5 total and jogged back down slowly after each one to recover and then ran home.  On my way down the hill after my first repeat I saw a car drive by with a chihuahua sticking it’s head out the window and it just looked so happy.  Seeing the chihuahua so happy living life made me enjoy going up that hill a bit more;)

My two tips for hills (that work for me):

Pump your arms because your legs will follow.

Push off the ground with each stride rather than just sinking down into the hill.  Show that hill some of your power and strength.

PS It’s amazing how much easier running feels going downhill or being on a flat part after running hills.

IMG 0084

My mom gave me these little tags for my shoes and I love them so much.  Now I can look down during a run and think about the quote (‘When your legs get tired… run with your heart”) and think about my mom.

IMG 0082

This episode was SO GOOD and I listened to it yesterday during my run (for the hill repeats I turned on Bruno Mars because I needed a beat).  I loved this quote from Kara during the episode when talking about coming back from pregnancy/injury/breaks,  “Don’t look so far ahead that it gets overwhelming… Instead focus on the little victories along the way.  Every 4-5 days you run a little bit faster… focusing on all of the positives.  Instead of killing yourself every day because you’re not there, give yourself credit for the steps that you are taking to get back there.”   Listen to this episode, it was awesome and I love how relatable Kara is!

IMG 0085

Boom.

IMG 0108

Andrew then went out for his run once I was home!

IMG 0102

After some stretching, breakfast and a shower I got to work on a bunch of emails with Skye sleeping on my chest.  I could have put her in her crib but I just love the way this feels.

IMG 0110

After Brooke got home from school we went on the car hunt again.  Brooke found her favorite dealership ever because they had popcorn, donuts and this play place.

IMG 0114

We took a lunch break because we were starving and because we needed to talk about things without a salesman right there;)  Zupas was one of my biggest pregnancy cravings.

IMG 0111

IMG 0112

We hit up gymnastics too!

IMG 0134

IMG 0135

And then we bought our car!  We ended up buying the Toyota Highlander and we love it.  Insurance was pretty fair with what they paid us for our totaled car (I was worried they wouldn’t) so we went with a new car again.  Andrew’s car (a pilot) probably has another 5 years or so in it so we figured we would upgrade again then if we needed a bigger car at that point and he would take the Highlander to work etc.  I really love the car and feel so good about it (I’m a big feelings person… I listen to them closely when making decisions).  It is so nice to have it all figured out now.

IMG 0145

IMG 0154

We came home and made a quick dinner (my sweet potato combo for me of course) and got busy making Valentines!

IMG 0151

Time to celebrate turning 32!  Andrew scheduled a massage for me today so I’m just going to go ahead and count down the minutes until that appointment!

——————————————————————————————————

What do you have going on today?

Have any hill workout tips?  How do you get in your hills?

What was the last podcast that you listened to?  How was it?

Have a favorite elite runner?  Who is it?

You May Also Like

73 comments

Reply

Happy Birthday, Janae! I hope you have a wonderful day ?

Reply

Congrats on the new car! We have a Toyota and love it so much.
I’m listening to two podcasts these days – My Favorite Murder, and Forever35. The Forever35 one is a lot about skincare and self-care and I had no idea I would enjoy it so much! The women who host it talk about routines and different products they love (or don’t love) and for some reason I find it really interesting (I was previously a “meh…do I really need to wash my face at night?” kind of person).
There is an awesome hill near where I work that is about a half-mile long. It’s been great for hill training and I always feel so accomplished even after just a few repeats.
Happy Tuesday!

Reply

Happy Birthday, Janae!!! I hope your day is great and you are properly celebrated!! You are a blessing!

Reply

Herzlich Geburtstag Janae!!!

Kara, Joanie, Greta, Desi……a few of my favorites!

congrats on the car and being done with that big decision!!!

I listened to a neat podcast on Ultra running but it made me so nervous that I must have gone to the bathroom a few times during it. No worry, I was at home conquering a closet project so wasn’t on a run (I do not listen to anything while running, except the wind, birds, church bells, etc)

Enjoy the massage!!!!

Reply

Happy Birthday Janae!

Reply

Happy happy birthday! Enjoy that massage- you more than deserve it!!!

Hugs,
Amanda

Reply

Congratulations on the new car!!! Very exciting and fun. And, happy, happy birthday!! I hope you have the most wonderful day.

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae! Thanks for continuing to gift all of us with your blog through the years. I wish I could send you some gummi candy/ chocolate covered cinnamon bears/ FMW/ broccoli (okay I know you’re no longer obsessed with broccoli, but that’s how long I’ve been reading your blog.) All that to say… HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!!!

Reply

OH YOU REMEMBER my broccoli obsession… thank you Mallory! That means a lot to me. I hope you have had a great day! xoxox

Reply

Happy Birthday Janae!!

Reply

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANAE!!!! Hope it’s a wonderful day and year full of LOVE and HUGS and SMILES! :)

I actually really love running hills. On Saturday, I ended up running one of the steepest and toughest hills I’ve ever encountered (it was 1.2 miles long!), and I wanted to walk so badly, but I just kept telling myself “Come on, Nat! You can do it. Don’t quit the hard stuff.” I kept reminding myself that I can’t just quit the tough times in life, and I can’t quit the tough parts of a run. So, I guess you could say small little pep talks to myself are the way I survive hill training :)

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae! I hope you have a great day. AND Congrats on the new wheels! I’m not much of a car person, so I had to google what a highlander actually looks like…spiffy! :)

Reply

Happy birthday!

I’m so glad you guys found the perfect car for you! And just in time for your birthday.

I’m taking my girls to see the greatest showman tonight to celebrate your birthday. I hope you enjoy your day and especially your massage.

Also where did you get Brooke’s leotard?

Reply

HEY GIRL!! It is from Target… I seriously think it is so cute! Thanks for celebrating my birthday today;) I hope you guys had a blast at the movie! xoxo

Reply

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Janae!
I hope you’ll have a great day, enjoy your new car!
I love running hills, I’ll run a very long one tomorrow. On my birthday!!

Reply

Happy Birthday!
You should watch the episode of Gilmore Girls when Lorelai is car shopping with Luke and keeps saying each one doesn’t “feel right”. :)

I just started running again and did my first hill workout on Sunday; man was that tough! I did what you mentioned in the post, pumping my arms was my main focus.

I’ve been listening to Bookish by Sonya Walger (actress from Lost). I LOVE it! She interviews some of her celebrity friends about the 5 books that have shaped them most. It’s fun to listen to, and has given me numerous book recommendations.

Sneaking in another one.. there is a podcast called Gilmore Guys where two guys discuss every episode of Gilmore Girls; I love re-listening to those. They just started reviewing the new show from the creators, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel too.

Have a wonderful birthday!

Reply

Happy Birthday Janae!! I hope you have a wonderful day. I love what you said (and have talked about before) about each run being a ‘deposit’ into your account for your next race/goal/etc. I think about that a lot and it really helps me to get out of bed, do ten more push ups or squats, go the extra half mile, etc. Every little thing adds up in your strength account! I just did a tough hill workout this morning and was feeling a little disappointed in my endurance levels, but I know I will see results eventually. Thanks for always being so motivating and encouraging to everyone!

Reply

Stephanie, thank you so much for your comment! It means a lot to me… keep adding those deposits, you are doing amazing and GREAT job on getting in those tough hills! I hope the rest of your week is amazing.

Reply

Happy birthday! And congrats on the new car. Where did you get those cute curtains in Skye’s room?

Reply

Hey Carrie! Thank you so much! We got them at Target. I can’t get enough of that store!

Reply

Yay Team Toyota!! I have a 4Runner and I LOVE IT!!! I’m also running Mount Charleston!!! Woo Hoo!!
My very favorite podcast is “True Crime Garage”. (True crime geek, here!!!)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANAE!!! Your blog is my absolute favorite!! ???

Reply

I NEED to check out that podcast… that sounds perfect for me. Thank you. Happy to join team Toyota. Thank you so much Darcy, I hope you are having a great night!

Reply

Congratulations on the new car and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It always feels so good to get a big decision like that taken care of with the car. I love love LOVE Oprah’s Super Soul Podcast. I cannot get enough of it. Enjoy your massage. :)

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae!

Reply

It must feel great to have your car! When we were buying ours, we test drove so many different cars. It was a relief when we finally settled on “the one” lol. Brooke is so expressive, I love it!

Reply

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! ENJOY THAT MASSAGE TO THE FULLEST!!!!! Enjoy the new car, too!

Favorite elite runners—-Des Linden for the marathon. She is such a work-horse and is so funny and “real.” Her insta stories are some of my favorites. I admire Jenny Simpson, also, just because of her work ethic and poise as a runner. She seems like such a good person!

Today—-teaching and then a running workout! Woo hoo!!! It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t feel like it for some reason!

Reply

Happy birthday Janae! A Toyota is a great birthday gift ;-) I’ve been driving Toyotas for close to 20 years now… they are so reliable. I love hills, especially at the beginning of a training phase, before I move on to speed intervals. They are so great to build strong legs as well as strong lungs. And they are never boring ;-)

Reply

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANAE!! I hope that when I’m 32 I can be running as far and fast like you do;)

I am glad you guys picked up a new car!

I feel bad because this is me and my husband’s first Valentines day as a married couple and we’ve only planned to cook steaks for dinner tomorrow (our favorites). I should get out there today during my lunch time and get him a little something<3.

The best way for me to train hills is doing HIIT workouts a the stair master. That was what I actually did this morning.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day Janae:)

Reply

Happy Birthday! And way to go on that run – hills are never easy. I definitely use your pumping arms faster trick ;)
Can’t wait to read about your massage…I need one of those myself!

Reply

Great job on the hill work! It really is such great training. Also, I’ve heard that it’s a great way to get back into speed-work because it’s lower impact since the ground is essentially coming up to meet you foot as you drop it down.

One of the coaches of my track group has the best tip for hills- pretend you’re holding a hammer in your hands and with each arm swing, you are trying to drive that hammer into the ground. It sounded so weird to me the first time but works so well! Really helps you focus on using your arms and moving them straight down instead of across your body.

I’ve finally been getting back into long-ish runs so that means the return of podcasts! I listened to Lindsey Hein’s latest episode + an episode of Oprah’s on my run on Saturday. I’ll have to add that Man Bun Run episode to my list- love his podcast and love Kara- win win!

Reply

Happy Day!! I think Shalane is my favorite elite. Random question – how did Andrew decide on Beretta’s name? Thanks!

Reply

Congratulations on the new car, and happy birthday! Enjoy that massage and full night of sleep.
I love hill repeats. My trick is to look at the horizon up the hill, and focus on getting to the downhill. This is probably bad form, but I LOVE flying down hills. I try not to pound my quads too much, but think it’s so fun.
I adore Desi. I think she’s just so cool, humble, and relatable. And of course, Meb just seems like the greatest guy ever. I met Kara at the Boston Marathon a few years ago and was so starstruck by her. Dean Karnazes was also there, and was very nice and fun to talk to.
I have class all day today, so I’m taking notes and missing my baby :(

Reply

Yay for a new car! And Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your massage and have a fabulous day!

Reply

Thinking of each run as a deposit into your marathon account is such a good way to look at it! I love an SUV, as a short person, they provide better visibility than smaller cars, oddly enough. Enjoy your V-day and happy birthday!

Reply

Happy Happy Birthday Janae!!! Wishing you the best of everything on your special day!
I love hill workouts when I’m finished with them. I’ve been doing them every week in this training cycle, so this post makes me feel pretty good.
I’ve been slacking on my podcast listening lately. I’m pretty faithful to Rich Roll, but he’s not always work friendly haha. I will def listen to Kara’s interview on ManBunRun. He’s one of my favorites.
I like Jared Ward, Des Linden, Emma Coburn and of course Shalane, Meb and Kara!!
Have a great day and enjoy that massage!!

Reply

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a fabulous day and lots of treats!

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae! :) I’m so thankful for your writing and all the inspiration over the years! Hope you have a fabulous day!

Reply

HAPPY, HAPPY Birthday Janae!!! I hope you have a wonderful day with your amazing family! And Yay for a new car decision!

Reply

Congratulations on the new vehicle and Happy Birthday!
Today is work, middle school valentine’s dance instead of actual dance class for my daughter, and getting ready for the next day!
No tips on hills. Other than listening to This is Me while going up one. :)
The last podcast I listened to was I’ll have Another with Lindsey Hein’s interview with Colleen Quigley. It was great.
Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan.

Reply

Happy Birthday, Janae!! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Reply

Happy birthday indeed! Does your birthday ever get combined with Valentine’s Day?!

Reply

Happy birthday!! I hope you have a fabulous time day.
I am blown away at how quickly you are bouncing back into longer runs and faster paces – you are such an inspiration! You make it seem so easy! But also fully admitting how hard it is… I appreciate your realness. :)
There is a route that I run near me that has a hill about 0.25 mile long, and then there’s a flat part, then I run back down another hill (about 0.2 mi) and then back up another hill (0.3mi). I like to do repeats of that and just run in circles on these hills and it KILLS me! But in a good way! I always put on loud music, and often practice encouraging self talk (in my head but sometimes out loud too lol) during these. I try to plan these runs during weeks where my other workouts are a little easier because I usually try to get 5 or more miles done on this route and it’s hard. I am a big fan of rewarding myself with something like Starbucks, a cupcake, doughnut, etc., after something like that.

Reply

Happy Birthday!!!! Enjoy your massage.
I don’t do many hills any more — I’ve had trouble with my achilles off and on for several years and running hills seems to exacerbate it.
My favorite is Desi Linden! But I also really like Deena Kastor and Kara Goucher.
Favorite podcast lately is Stuff You Missed in History Class.
Today I am sleeping! One more night shift to finish my busy stretch, then I am OFF for a while!

Reply

I hope you love your Highlander. My husband wants that to be my next car (due to it’s massive seat flexibility) but I am still resisting – nothing is wrong with my 11+ yr old 4Runner and it is a tank so why change?

If I’m running in my neighborhood, it’s nothing but up and down hills. If I split up the long hill (~1.2 miles), I can get 6 x 0.2-0.3 mile hill repeats in my normal 4 mile loop. So my hill workouts are either just not walking on a normal run or occasionally sprinting up all the hill sections as I go along the loop.

Reply

Happy Birthday Janae, wishing you the very, very best!!! And congrats on the new car as well!

Reply

Congrats on deciding on a new car! It’s always exciting to bring a new one home.

I had a dream with you in it last night. We were both at some sort of sporting event, and you started talking to me. It took me a minute to realize who you were and I was so excited to meet you. Then you invited me to your birthday party.

Reply

Happy birthday, birthday twin!! I hope you have a fabulous day:) I’m 21 today! Have a great rest of your birthday- hope you’re getting lots of cake and candy! My mum got me a Nutella flavoured cake aha! Enjoy your massage:)

Reply

Happy, happy birthday Janae! Sounds like a great start to a birthday week. Party, hills, new car and a massage. Enjoy!

Reply

Happy birthday!!

Omg the Highlander had the BEST commercials… I don’t remember many car commercials (Audi Super bowl…that’s about it), but those Highlander ones were like GEICO commercials.. consistent and love ’em haha! Congratulations! Sounds like a good decision and bday “present” :D!

Reply

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANAE!! Have the best day ever!! ??

Reply

Happy birthday!! And congrats on your new car – best of luck with it!!

Reply

Happy birthday!! Hope your day is fantastic!

Reply

Happy birthday! Congrats on the car purchase. My favorite pro runner is Dezi! I need to start back on my hill workouts. We have had so much snow this winter though and the hills I usually run aren’t always clear. Hoping for a warm up soon to melt it all away. Enjoy your massage!

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating, a full night’s sleep and a terrific year ahead!

Reply

Happy Happy Birthday, Janae! And congrats on the new car. I know so many young families that have Highlanders and they all love them!

Reply

Happy Birthday Janae!

Reply

I love birthdays so happy birthday to you and enjoy your night of sleep!
I love Lindsey Heins podcasts “I’ll have another”. And Kara Goucher is one of my favorite elites! I got my pic taken with her as I heard her speak at San Diego half marathon Expo back in 2010!
What are
Your tips for hills? What’s. Good distance for repeats or does it matter?

Reply

Congrats on the new car!! I have the Toyota Highlander and I love it!!! The extra room always comes in handy and I feel very safe in it since it is so big. :) Happy Birthday!!! I hope your massage is wonderful and your full night of uninterrupted sleep is amazing!!! xoxoxo!

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae! May God continue to bless you and your family all throughout the year! :) Great pick on the car. Now I want a new car. :) Haha. We have the Honda odyssey but I think we may want something like yours later since they’ll be older and we won’t need the doors to automatically open on their own, etc. Have a great day, Janae!

Reply

Happy Happy Birthday Janae!!! I hope you’re enjoying your special day and especially enjoy your uninterrupted night of sleep!! Hugs from NC!

Reply

Happy birthday, Janae! I just got home from treating my BRF to lunch at Chipotle for her birthday (she’s 42 today). If you lived closer I would have treated you, too! :-)

Reply

Happy Birthday, Janae!

And congrats on the car!

Reply

Happy birthday! Congrats on the new car, enjoy it.

Reply

Happy Birthday!! Enjoy your full night of sleep with no interruptions!!!!!

Reply

Happy birthday!!

Reply

Happy birthday and enjoy your new car! I recently started a podcast so that has been my primary focus right now (the Grapefruit & Granola podcast- wellness tips for working women). I also really like the ladygang!

Reply

Happy Birthday!!! Hope you are spoiled rotten and you got your full night of sleep! You are beautiful and so is your family thanks for sharing all you do with us.

Reply

I’m so glad you wrote what you did about doing your hills by how it felt as opposed to your watch. I’ve been running and doing half marathons for years, but haven’t trained with any speedwork but I want to begin. I found a half marathon plan that seems great because it maxes out at 4 days running per week. I’m 3 months pp and couldn’t run while pregnant, so it seems good for easing back in AND it has speedwork. But having never done it I have a few questions!

1. When it says something like “4 miles-fartleks” is that 4 Miles just of that, so additional warm up and cool down? And if so, what’s a good distance to warm up before going into speedwork? If it’s 4 total, is there some magic percentage that should be warm up and cool down?

2. I’m really slow for me right now. I felt like I was flying last night and couldn’t believe I was still north of 10 min miles. My 5k pace is just under 7min miles, so totally unattainable right now. Can I do intervals by running what feels hard or should I be aiming for something more scientific based on whatever my easy run paces are that week (since I’m hoping they’ll be improving!)

thanks!!

Reply

my mom loves her highlander. I’ve driven it once or twice and it is great! so happy for y’all :)
also, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! have the greatest day! you are one special lady <3

Reply

Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

I love the highlander – and Aunt love how they modified to make a hybrid that allows for bigger families. So many are too small!

My favorite is Kara of course, and Paula and Deena, and Shalane (I just wish she would switch to Oiselle so Kara and Shalane could train together again). And Jordan too! I have been watching her since she was 16!

Reply

We are in the market for a new care too, and have been looking at the Highlander. When we sat in it the first thing my kids did was play with the window shades.

Reply

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Reply

Happy Birthday Janae!! And Valentine’s! You are such a positive and sincere person, I so enjoy your blog!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *