The Mental Battle

Sunday’s 16 miles were done in one of the worst running weather days I can remember for only being April. It was a scorcher. Those were hard miles to get done and scared me a little…maybe a lot. After conversations on Twitter Sunday as I worked through getting in the miles, it’s become so obvious to me how mentally defeated I am about the marathon distance. While I think some newer runners don’t respect the distance enough, I have moved beyond respecting it to flat out fearing the distance of a full marathon. More

Bridget Batson’s Weekly Running Recipe- Week 8

Mac and Cheese- The Healthy Way! You will need 1 T olive oil 8 oz. quinoa pasta shells, cooked1 shallot, thinly sliced 1 cup goat milk, low fat pinch celery seeds pinch dry mustard pinch paprika 1 heaping teaspoon cornstarch 4 oz soft goat cheese 3 T  apples, peeled, diced 2 T chives olive oil salt & pepper 1 cup goat milk, evaporat... More

Sickness Interrupts Marathon Training

Life happens. And if your training schedule is not designed to take this into account, you need to rethink things. Your training schedule not only needs to include this important fact, it needs to reflect how much interruption your life is likely to take. In the absence of excuses, procrastination, and laziness, what’s the probability of training execution going awry? More

Bridget Batson’s Weekly Running Recipe- Week 7

Baked Polenta with Ricotta, Spinach and Basil You will need 350 degree oven and a baking dish 2 cups instant polenta 4 cups water or chicken stock 2 T low fat ricotta ½ cup spinach, cooked 2 T basil, chopped 1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce 2 T Parmesan cheese salt & pepper In a small pot bring the liquid to a boil and slowly ... More

Sources of Motivation

Recap of the Week: I realized in my post a week ago I was so focused on total weekly mileage, long run miles, and base-building that I failed to mention anything about at what pace I was going to do each run. I clarified that in my blog this week. I was scheduled to do 27.1 miles this week through a planned half marathon on Sunday as ... More

Bridget Batson’s Weekly Running Recipe- Week 6

Date Spice Muffins You will need: 325 degree oven a muffin tin and papers 1 cup all – purpose flour ¼ cup brown sugar 1 ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ground ginger pinch ground cloves ½ tsp salt 1/3 cup dried dates, pitted, chopped zest from 1 orange ½ cup low fat yogurt ¼ cup milk 1 egg 2 T olive oil In a bowl whisk ... More

The Training Plan!

And Now… The Training Plan… Oooh! First, a recap of the past week… my highest total mileage of the year was reached: 27.8 miles. I feel comfortably adapted to a 13 mile long run after the last handful of weekends. And Saturday I ran my first trail race, Grasslands Half Marathon. Here’s my race report as it was a hard race and I ... More

Bridget Batson’s Weekly Running Recipe- Week 5

7 Minute Salmon You will need: A 400 degree oven and parchment paper 2 salmon steaks, 5 oz each 2 dill sprigs 1 T Meyer lemon zest 2 T olive oil 1 cup fennel, thinly shaved water ( or a splash of  wine ! ) salt & pepper Cut the parchment paper into two 14 x 14 inch pieces. Divide the fennel in half and place ¾ of the way up the ... More

Why I Avoided the Marathon; as Seen Through The Eyes of My 3 Year Old

I’m a planner. I’m a preparer. I’m an analyzer. I’m rarely spontaneous, and if I occasionally appear to be, it’s probably something that’s been on my mind for a while. So I’ve been running for 6 years. In this time, I’ve learned a ton about running and about what works for me with my running. I’ve had one real injury (back in 2005), and I’ve had two babies (2007 & 2010), the first with a normal delivery resulting in a broken tailbone and the second via C-section to avoid another broken tailbone. I’ve completed 20 half marathons. But I’ve always avoided the marathon. For a while I’ve been thinking that maybe I was finally ready to do a marathon. I’ve learned how to train, I’m good about maintaining my running routine, and I’ve gathered lots of experience over time. More