Adventures with an Average Ironmom

 Although I didn't participate in the racing today, this was one of my favorite runs to watch. I went to support our coaches, but saw countless friends right from the beginning. There were so many amazing participants that it isn't hard to be inspired as I continue looking forward to my next adventure, 50 Half Marathons in 50 States by age 50! Here are some of the highlights from today's race, which had me holding back tears of pride for the accomplishments of these runners. The day kicked off with local running store operator Melissa Braswell prepping the finish line before heading to Big Island Running Company to support the racers for the day. Our favorite race announcer Eddie-O was on the mic and everyone was buzzing with anticipation for the start of the race, which began before sunrise at 6am. I found Coach Lisa Alley-Zarkades, one of the best Ambassadors for Fitness I know, with her crew from both the mainland and Kona, ready to hit the pavement and make it happen. C...

What a productive week! In Hawaii, kids go back to school in August. Not only did we make it through the orientation week, but we also had the opportunity to walk through our new school campus, which has been 4 years in the making. My boys attend Hawaii Technology Academy, a blended learning public charter school that involves at home work with teachers online and in person days, as well as out of classroom learning in the community. We love the school and were so happy to be able to attend the school blessing this past Saturday. But a new schedule had me executing a crazy running week. I got all of my workouts in, including a Tempo day on Tuesday, a Hills and Drills Day on Friday and my 2 hour long and slow Saturday. I had done an hour walk Thursday as well, which put me in a coast to coast challenge scenario with three days in a row on my feet. My Saturday 2 hours was just a walk, partially because of this and because it felt right. I'll get back on the running Tuesday. My watch ...

7.54 miles in 2 hours at Pine Trees. Self rated run: 8/10! Why such a high score if I only covered 7.54 miles instead of 13.1 in 2 hrs which is my November goal? Because I’m exactly where I need to be and this run was exactly as I wanted it to be. I was VERY happy by the end. I wasn’t rushed, and despite the rain for the first 18 minutes and subsequent humidity, the day was perfect for this long run. I know I can consistently hit an 11 minute mile, so my long runs for now until I get faster should average about 13 min miles. Much slower than race pace as I build up my distance again. Having done a great Tempo workout Tuesday and a Recovery 60 min Walk Thursday, this third run of the week was perfect. Since I my body battery score was pretty low, I stayed in Zone 1 for most of the run, using the Galloway (run/walk) method for the first hour and walking the second hour. I listened to the rest of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg on Audible and the end of the book did not disappoint! H...

A little rain wasn't going to stop us! The Volcano Ohia Lehua 5k and Half Marathon weekend was a smashing success. Jason did an amazing job, and it was so much fun to be out amongst so many runners ready to have a great time. The gratitude to be there was palpable, and despite the drizzle, everyone finished with huge smiles on their faces. We stayed at the Namakanipaio Campground in cabins which included a twin bunk bed, full size bed, complete with linens and a shower facility at the site. It was rustic and perfect, with a hiking trail leading to the volcano rim. We took the short hike over on Friday after arriving and had fun playing in the wind and kicking back before an early bedtime. Race morning we were preparing to head to the start when our neighboring camper accidentally set his rental car alarm off. It caught our attention since it was 6:30am and as we all giggled about it waking up camp, I noticed he had on the same race shirt Jason and I had as well. Since Evan was stil...

I love to go big or go home. But to be honest, my thirst for crazy fitness adventures has made way for a new kind of burning desire. Two things are on the forefront of my mind.  First, my personal training business Trunk Trainers is humming along smoothly, with Coach Caili and myself helping an almost full schedule of clients stick with their exercise routines. We’ve created the Treehouse, our online fitness community, to support our clients with online courses, challenges, resources and accountability. And have helped 13 fitness enthusiasts become NASM Certified Personal Trainers so far. We’re inspiring world fitness for sure! But I still feel like there’s one more area I’d like to pursue. Second, my baby boys are now 9 and 12. They’re going into 4th and 7th grade! And I feel like my husband and my presence in their lives right now are super important. We are definitely in the throes of tweendom and days go more smoothly when there’s time and attention for all the necessities plus...

Better late than never! It's been a month since my return from the most epic Awesome Adventure of my adult life, and I want to pen a race report before I forget the details. Plus, I've decided what's next for this Average Ironmom as far as goals, so let's first pay homage to a really great one!! About 9 months ago I decided to Go Big for my 40th birthday. The plan was to complete the Dopey Challenge, a Run Disney event happening the first weekend in January in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World. I would then fly to Anaheim and complete the Dumbo Double Dare, earning an additional Coast To Coast Challenge award in the process. Throw in an extra 5k with my mom and boom, Happy Birthday to me! I had done the Dopey Challenge Virtually two years ago, very poorly due to lack of training. This time was going to be different. As you can see from my Facebook page, I did the training and was ready to go by the beginning of the year. The goal was to complete the challenges, but ...