Try this Hill Workout (It Burns), Treadmill Tip & Maybe This Will Make Me as Fast as Shalane.

Crazy facial expressions are our specialty.

Andrew had a shift at the hospital so that meant another treadmill run for me.  I started at 5:28 in the morning so I could try to get it done before the girls woke up.  Getting on and off of the treadmill to get them situated is not easy because once I stop… it is really hard to get back on that treadmill again.  I even had some time to stick my head in front of the fan, stretch and do a bit of strength after my run before they woke up.  I had Skye’s monitor on the treadmill and Brooke knows that when she wakes up when Andrew is gone that I’m either in bed snoring or on the treadmill so she just came to me when she woke up.

I think I get extra credit for doing this workout on the treadmill.

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2 mile w/u and 2 mile c/d and I like how my coach wrote out the workout… wash. rinse. repeat. haha!

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Going into the workout I really underestimated how long 3 minutes would feel during this workout.  It was so painful and I felt like I was going to lose my pre-run banana.  But I did it.  As far as what pace to do for this workout, my coach said to break down the intervals in my head based on effort rather than focusing on a speed.  For the first minute my effort level should feel like a 6 out of 10, for the second minute a 7.5 out of 10 and for the last minute an 8 or a 9 out of 10.  For this particular workout she recommended doing these between a 4-5% incline on the treadmill.  My paces weren’t fast but I definitely pushed myself to get up to that 9 out of 10 effort level and I’m proud of that.

Ever gone downhill on a treadmill?  It feels really weird at first but it is so nice to have this option for workouts like this when part of your recovery is jogging back down the hill.

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Also, I brought back out a marker on my treadmill.  I tend to run very close to the treadmill console which makes me change my running form.   I like to put some tape or a resistance band a bit back from the console to help me to stay back and it helps me a ton.

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Also, if you are needing some help with form with your uphill and downhill running, this article is my favorite for that—>  4 Simple Form Tweaks That Make Running Hills Easier.  I love this quote from the article, “To handle hills effectively in races, learn to run up and down them by effort, not pace.”

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PS If you are doing hill repeats for time outside on a hill and you want to get a bit higher up on the hill with each interval—>  Place a rock at the point where you get to at the end of each interval and on the next hill repeat try to get past the rock.  I love having a visual of where I need to get to and that really pushes me to go faster with each repeat.  If your hill repeats are for distance then you can also place a rock at the distance you need to get to in order to help you to push it to that point too.

After I told you in Skye’s latest baby post about how amazing she is at napping lately, she rebelled and protested the idea of a morning nap.

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Brooke was hard at work making her Father’s Day presents for Andrew.  We are celebrating Father’s Day a bit early this year because Andrew will be gone most of Sunday.  Brooke needs to go out to California to be with her dad this weekend so on Sunday Andrew will be flying to California and then bringing Brooke home that night.  He is a rockstar for spending his Father’s Day on airplanes to make sure Brooke can go see her dad (I was going to go but Andrew said he would so Skye wouldn’t be traveling again so soon after our last trip).

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Turkey, cheese, guac and spinach salads for our lunch.

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And then we were off to Skye’s doctor appointment.  Her head size is now in the 76th percentile which means she inherited my head.  Also, her pediatrician said she is good to go for us to start running together!

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From there I tried to take Brooke to the park but we lasted for 7 minutes before we realized it was way too hot.  McDonalds playground and ice cream instead.

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We took it nice and easy at home which felt really nice.

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And for dinner we had egg scrambles (with spinach, peppers, guac, chicken) and pb & j toast on the side.  Skye has a strong love for sweet potatoes… not sure how she would feel right now with adding chicken, avocado and bbq sauce on top of her sweet potatoes but I’m sure at some point she will realize how good that is too.

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Andrew ran right after his shift and then we ate dessert while watching The Bachelorette.  I stayed awake until my ice cream container was gone (I had the candy bar one).

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Also, I bought these because I kept seeing Shalane Flanagan talking about this brand on her IG so I’ll be eating these today.  Hopefully, they make me as fast as she is;)

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Brooke will do anything to avoid having to make her bed including sleeping on the very edge so she doesn’t have to put her pillows back on in the morning.

I sure hope it is easy to get stickers off of walls because last I counted, she has about 2,300 of them on her walls.

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My mom and sister are back home from our family reunion so all is right in Utah again;)  This picture is me, my brother and sister at the top of a huge building that we climbed up.

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This made me laugh so hard.  I hope that all of you teachers reading have an amazing summer full of doing everything you love to do.

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What is your favorite type of hill workout?  Any phrases that get you through hard hills?

-I used my favorite yesterday to get through those climbs, ‘I can do hard things.”

Who is watching the Bachelorette this season?  What are your thoughts so far?

-I really like Becca, a lot.

Any Halo Top fans?  Favorite flavor?

-After we ate through the 20 containers that Andrew bought (they were on sale so he bought the entire store;) I was sick of them but after over a year away from them, it sounded good again.

Any teachers reading (or people that used to teach)?  What grade do you teach?  If you are a secondary teacher, what subjects do you teach?

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64 comments

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I’m on the hunt for a hat this summer. Would you have any recommendations? I see you have been wearing some hats lately :)

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YES YES YES!!! So I am actually including my favorites in my Friday Favorites post this week but here is the one I was wearing yesterday. Check back on Friday for more. I can’t stop wearing them (mainly because I don’t want to get ready).

https://amzn.to/2ydLcbg

I got the mustard colored one and I love it. Have a beautiful day Monica!

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On hills I tell myself to count to twenty and push hard and it’ll be over. Sometimes it’s a lie but it helps! And, oh, it feels so good afterwards.
I’m just waking up on a bench in the airport because of delays everywhere plus no hotel rooms anywhere (how is that even possible?!) equals a whole lot of people are sleepy and grumpy around here this morning! Wish good luck to Brooke and Andrew, and safe travels! Airports can really test your patience reserves.

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Oh I love that… I’m going to try that on my next hill workout.

I am SO SO SO SORRY about your airport experience… you slept there?! That is terrible. I hope you get to your destination soon and that sleep is up ahead for you. Seriously, delays are the WORST.

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I LOVE hill workouts (and your Rip Curl hat, by the way)! I need to start doing more of them again. I live in a pretty flat area, but it’s not too far of a drive to some really challenging hills (one of them is a straight 1.5-mile climb—no joke). I usually try to find one where I can just run to the top for each repeat, but I like the rock idea if I’m going for time!

Haha, I love that sign from the teachers! I taught broadcast journalism, journalism, and newspaper for high schoolers for seven years. I definitely miss working with the kids every day!! Do you ever miss being in the classroom??

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1.5 mile climb… oh that made my legs burn just thinking about that! I 100% miss being in the classroom. I will probably go back in a bit once I’m done having kids and they are in school. Do you think you’ll ever go back?

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I definitely think about it sometimes! I would eventually like to be working with teenagers again full time, but hopefully that will be with Tower318! :)

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I love Brooke’s two top knots – adorable!! Is that look okay for a 39 year old?? Hee :)

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100% okay for you Amanda… DO IT!!! Have a wonderful day .

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I love BOTH halo top and yasso. Mint chocolate chip all day long. There is a brand called Enlightened here too and the birthday cake is a must try!!

Xo

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I need to find Enlightened… I am going to check if it is here. I hope you have a great day Jess and that you get some mint chocolate chip soon.

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I also use the phrase, “I can do hard things.” I have never tried the Candy Bar Halo Top but that sounds amazing! I homeschool my three. Crazy to think next year I will have a 6th grader, 4th grader, and 2nd grader.

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TRY IT ASAP!!! You will love it. Tabaitha, you are amazing! I love that you homeschool your kids. They are so lucky to have you!

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I actually LOVED my hill repeats while I was training for Boston. I liked being able to focus on just one hill at a time! It made the distance go by quicker (by the end we were doing 5-6 miles of hill repeats plus one mile warm-ups and cool downs. I haven’t been doing too many hill repeats now since my next marathon is super flat, though.
I’m a secondary special education teacher, and I’ve worked with every grade from 6-12 over the years. I support students with disabilities and consult with classroom teachers to help them adapt their practice to support my student’s needs. We’ve got another week and a half of classes here in New England and we’re all counting down the days!

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5-6 miles of hill repeats… you are my inspiration! That is awesome. What is your next marathon Kerri?

You are absolutely amazing. Thank you for what you do. Your students are so lucky to have you. I hope your summer break is perfect this year.

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Thank you! And my next marathon is the Toronto Waterfront in October:) I’ve had to get an early start on training because I’m traveling a bunch this summer!

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Oh that is so exciting Kerri! Please keep me updated with how your training is going and enjoy your traveling this summer!

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You talking about hills reminded me when I was training mma we used to alligator climb (on hands and toes as low to the ground as possible) up and back down a super steep hill right by my training camp. Oh wow that was terrible and insane and also amazing haha. It was probably over 1/4 mile up and then 1/4 mile back down. Seriously forever.

When I used to live in apartments that had a gym and I ran on the treadmill I’d run ridiculously close to the monitor too! If I back up I always feel like I’m going to fall off.

I emailed you the other day after you asked me to. Did you receive it? I used the contact form from but I can re-email if needed :)

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Tiffany, I didn’t get it. I don’t know if my contact me page is working anymore… can you please resend it to [email protected] ! I am so sorry that is inconvenient. I would love to chat!

Okay, those alligator climbs sound like the hardest things ever. I cannot even imagine doing those! You are hardcore. I hope you are having a beautiful day!

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Sorry if this seems like a stupid question. I am new to treadmill workouts. Is the incline % the same as the numbers on the machine? My treadmill goes from -3 to 10 so is 3-4% a 3 or 4?

The pic of you girls is ADORABLE! I love your silly faces!

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Oh thank you Bridgette. That isn’t a stupid question! I am excited you are starting treadmill workouts. As far as I know, YES.. a 3-4% is a 3 or 4! What treadmill do you have?

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I have the Proform 2000 and LOVE it! The workouts I have done so far have been the ones that come on the ifit app. They have been great but I was thinking of creating my own. This will help! Thanks so much!

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Oh that is AWESOME Bridgette. I’m so glad you love it and please keep me updated on how you are doing and your training! Have a great day!

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Staple blank colorful papers together and have Brooke make sticker books instead of putting them on a wall. She can make little story books with them or add pictures. It’s fun, creative and no stickers go on the wall!

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That is a great idea! Thanks Lindsey!

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I’ve never tried that ice cream but I really want some for breakfast now haha!

I feel like 90% if my runs are hill runs. Not because I make sure there are hills in there but because they all include at least the one hill. I need to branch out more. But I really hate stopping for lights right now.

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I was wondering why you just don’t tell Brooke she can’t put stickers on the wall. It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request.

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Brooke is very creative and I love to see her creations. It doesn’t bother me.. just hoping I can get them off easily someday if we move!

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I love Halo Top! My favorite flavor is the red velvet, but smores and oatmeal cookie are up there!

I am a high school English teacher, and I currently teach 9th grade Honors and AP Literature (12th grade).

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I will have to get the red velvet next! Your students are so lucky to have you. I hope your summer is amazing and full of a lot of rest and relaxation.

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I like short, hard hill sprints on the wooded path near my house. I’m not sure of the distance, but it’s the steep grade that makes it hard. I mainly tell myself “Don’t trip!” the whole time. I don’t think I would make it for a 3-minute hill climb!

Halo Top! Red Velvet is my favorite, but I also like Pistachio and Oatmeal Cookie a lot.

That sign from the teachers is hilarious!! Teachers have always had a tough job, and it seems it’s getting tougher all the time.

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So this is unrelated to your questions but I wanted to tell you. There is a podcast I’ve been listening to called Hidden Brain by NPR and they had a great episode on baby talk! It was so interesting and since our babies are similar in age, I thought I would share!

Also, after I read that Andrew runs after 12-14 hour days, it really inspired me because I’m a Children’s Minister and I have super long days in the summer, but I told myself that if Andrew can run after work, so can I!

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You are the best Amanda… thank you for the recommendation. I will be listening to this during my run tomorrow. You are hardcore woman, I hope that you feel great running after your crazy busy days! I hope your little one is sleeping for you:)

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Sometimes I really like hill workouts – I think it’s because I always feel hardcore when I’m done. My house is at the bottom of a big hill (steep and almost .25mi long) and sometimes I go crazy and just do repeats of that. Or, since my city is built on a bluff near the river, we have LOTS of hills, so I’ll sometimes just run in a big loop that’s a little over a mile long, and has three hills in it that destroy my legs. But like I said, when I’m done, I feel so amazing!
I went through a phase where I really liked Halo Top but ice cream is hard on my dairy-sensitive system so if I’m going to eat it, I want the good stuff like soft serve!

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For almost 13 years I taught 7th grade Life Science and then High School Biology. Now I teach inmates and prepare them to take their GED. I really like the Oatmeal Cookie Halo Top!!!

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I LOVE Halo Top!! Growing up we had ice cream every night and I love having that again. Crazy trivia, New England eats more ice cream than any other part of the country even though it’s so cold!

My favorite flavor currently is the Mocha Chip or just the plain chocolate.

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That hill workout looks brutal… 3 mins IS a long time. Ha. But I will definitely try it! I start training for Chicago next week and I am changing up my training plan, so why not ? This is the shortest break I’ve ever had between marathons (RnR was on 6/3) and this last one didn’t go as planned due to heat/dehydration issues, so I’m looking for redemption! With a 3:41 finish time, I was more than 10 min off my goal ? I will be praying for 50s and cloudy in Chicago in Oct!!
Btw – those Yasso mint chip bars are SO good!
I am a special ed support teacher for K-3 and this is my last year! I am working toward my MSW and will be interning at a mental health facility next year, so I have to give up my job. I’m still in denial, I am going to miss my kiddos SOO much.
I have seen so much summer slide over the last 4 years of teaching. It breaks my heart. It is SO incredibly important to read with your kids as much as possible. I am planning to spend a lot of time reading with my little niece and nephew this summer!

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Def been staying caught up on the Bachelorette. Becca is great, but I wish she would send a few of those handsome fellas my way! haha Blake is so adorbs <3

P.s. you're a champ for running all of those hill intervals I usually go to the gym to run on the treadmill out of laziness to avoid all of the hills around my house ;)

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My favorite hill is in Mapleton. It’s actually a bunch of hills. 700 feet climbed over 1.75 miles. When I really want a good workout I do intervals up the entire thing. But some days I just run the parts that slightly level out. (This morning there were probably 30 cows and calfs on the trail.) I need to get my hill training going because I signed up for St. George. So excited and so nervous for my first marathon! Way to do your hill work on the treadmill. Obviously you do whatever it takes, but that is hard work!

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St George! This just made me so so happy!

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I am a teacher! I teach English-7th and 11th grades as well as 11 Honors and Creative Writing!! :-) Only 7 more days of school to go and I’m off with my 11th month old for the summer! YAY! He’ll be one on the 4th of July (coolest birthday ever!)

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For the stickers, sometimes a hair dryer on them for a bit will help loosen the sticky stuff so they come off easier.

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Thank you Joan for this… I’ve been wondering how the heck I was going to get those off. Have a beautiful day!

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I had to do my run on the treadmill as well due to child care. I switched up the speed and incline and Netflix helped me through. Hoping once everyone is out of school I’ll have to get up super early and run outside. Luckily my neighborhood has an awesome moms running group. Lol

I desperately need a hat, lots of time at the pool with the kids. I’m still on the hunt for a good one. Looking forward to Fri reviews.

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Yasso is the best! I like the coffee chip and black raspberry flavors. They make ice cream sandwiches too!

FYI you look amazing! Keep doing what you are doing , I bet very soon you will see a big difference.

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Oh thank you so much Allison! I hope you are having a great day. I need the black raspberry one asap… and the ice cream sandwiches!

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3 minutes hills is serious business! Awesome job! I am doing 10x short (but super steep) hills on Saturday. Should be fun ;-) Halo Top finally made it’s way to Canada! Haven’t tried it yet but I will look into the flavour suggestions in comments (Can’t do chocolate, I’m allergic!). Kudos to Andrew for travelling on father’s day. He deserves his father’s day gift ;-)

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What is your that you have Brooke’s craft stuff in? I feel like I’ve tried a million different ways and it’s still always a mess:)

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Hey! We actually have this set that comes with a ton of craft stuff inside!

https://amzn.to/2MiWAG5

Brooke loves it!

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Thank you so much!! It looks amazing

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Today is our last day of school for us!! Finishing up my 16th year teaching first grade. I am soo looking forward to not running at 4 am! Wahoo!!! Plus now I can be responsible for 2 kids and not 21!!!

Our family overdid it on Halo Top a few years ago but that candy bar ice cream sounds good!!!

Happy summer!!

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16th year… Katie, that is amazing! I hope your summer is perfect. Thanks for being such an amazing teacher and keep me updated on how your summer is going!

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The plain vanilla halo top is SO GOOD on top of a brownie sundae or a hot chocolate chip cookie. The cinnamon roll halo top is amazing and dangerous to eat on its own. Tom and I love the candy bar one and he is a huge fan of the cookie dough. I am a fan of the mint chocolate and the almond chocolate flavor. We take our halo top seriously.

Your hill workout sounds amazing and hard. I might have to turn one of my workouts per week into a hill-like workout even though I need to do walk/run intervals. I know though that I need to become more powerful in my running intervals and maintain a more steady pace in my walking intervals. It could help, especially in finding power (& deepening my lung capacity) in this dang humidity.

As for teaching—I teach college, and I teach English. Most of the students I have taught over the last few years are freshmen and sophomores. And many of my freshmen need a lot of guidance and a lot of hand-holding. It’s a tough age; most of them are experiencing some independence for the first time in their lives and are still hearing their parents tell them what to do and set crazy expectations for their performance, so there is a lot of confidence-building and a lot of teaching my students to be independent and resourceful.

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HOW DO YOU READ MY BLOG?! I bet all of my grammar errors drive you crazy. You sound like an incredible teacher. Thank you for doing what you do! Now I need a brownie sundae and a hot chocolate chip cookie. Have an amazing day!

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LOVE Halo Top > my favorite flavors are the PB cup, vanilla, candy bar, and oatmeal cookie. And if those those Yasso Bars make you as fast a Shalane, let me know so I can pick up a few boxes ;)

Also, thanks for your comment back about my toe! My friend’s husband is a podiatrist (which is AMAZING!) and he gave me the green light to go train again (!!) Hallelujah! He said it was a plantar strain and pretty normal for runners. He also said the hammer toe was a flexible hammer toe and apparently those go away pretty quickly! SO happy to get back into it! Quick question > have you used Hanson’s marathon training plans before? If so, did you like it? Thanks!

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i like “i can do hard things”
my collection of hill mantras that i’ve saved to my notes on the phone:
up up up the hill
float up the hill
i eat hills for breakfast (this doesn’t work for me but maybe it works for others!)
i think i can, i think i can
this is easy
speed it up
hold that speed
light and fast
just keep running (like in Finding Nemo, but Dory says “just keep swimming”)
i am relaxed, i am calm, i am strong
i can do it, i will do it, i am doing it

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“this is easy” or “hills are easy” or “this hill is easy” – are all variations on just tricking myself. even tho i know it is false, somehow it totally fools me while i’m in the moment. and it does so much better than “this hill is so hard” or “i don’t think i can finish this workout” or whatever other thoughts creep into my head. if i block all that out with tricking myself, it totally works for me – i don’t know why!

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So glad you are able to start running with the jogging stroller again!

I teach 5th grade…all subjects and I coach middle school cross country. I love summer with my own four daughters and we start training for our cross country season.

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I laughed so hard when I saw that teacher meme. I love that IG account so much. I relate to their posts so much.

When are we going to watch The Bachelorette together again? I will bribe you with cookies, which are a billion times better than Halo top.

I would lose my shiz with those stickers on the wall. The other day felicity drew on the wall and probably overreacted a tad. I know, right?! MEEE? Never.

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I’m just curious….what is the pediatrician checking for to approve her going with you on your run?

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Hey! Her neck strength, weight, height:) I hope you are having a great day!

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I love that “tag your it” sign ?! I am a special needs Prek teacher. I teach students who are 3-5 years old with a variety of special needs. I love it so much but also thoroughly enjoy summer break ?

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That Andrew- what a great guy! Peanut Butter and Caramel are my favorite Hao flavors. I really like them, but can get sick of them too. I love that sign. I teach first grade.

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I teach 4th grade & absolutely love it! This coming year will be my 12th year. That sign cracked me up!!
Have a great day!

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