Wife Mother Runner Blog - Wife Mother Runner

Preparing For Back To School

August 15, 2017

These feelings usually begins for me around August 1. There is a change in the sunlight, the sun sets a little bit earlier, the nights get cooler and every where you look there are back to school ads. I hate that time of year. I love having my kids home for the summer, even though we are out of a routine and sometimes they get bored, they are still my babies and I enjoy having them around. They have friends over, we go on vacations, we stay up late and watch movies, go for bike rides, go out for ice cream, have play dates. All those fun things you are supposed to do when it is summer.

I am also in major denial that they are getting older. Just like when I start to feel that sadness for their last days of school It means another year has passed and they are growing older. I know we are supposed to be proud of that but I struggle with it. I’m sorry, I just don’t want my babies to get much older than they are right now! So if there is a magic pill that can stop time and aging, I’d like to order some please.

Adrienne is going into a new school for third grade and Kevin is attending his last year at the school for fifth grade. Don’t even get me started for what is to come next year with middle school. I am already getting anxiety with those thoughts that creep into my head.

So as I look back at last year’s first day of school pictures I can’t believe we will be taking our first day pictures in just a few weeks. So I will do whatever I can to drag out these last few weeks of summer vacation. The kids have had an excellent summer. Their last day of school ended very early in June so this was the longest summer break they have had. We did a lot of fun things, too.

What do you do to try to help deal with this lightning speed thing called life and growing up?

How To Train for Running Injury Free

August 13, 2017

Antonio Williams, M.S., NASM, P.E.S, Case Management Specialist, Health Educator at Cigna has very helpful information to help you avoid injuries when training for races. I made many of these mistakes when I was an early runner.

Cross Training

A mistake some runners make is not including strength training in their training program. That’s why I shared why cross training is important in my more recent post. It is important to include this because the continuous pounding on the pavement fatigues your muscles. Over time and as you increase your distance, this will force other muscles in your body to overcompensate. When this happens, you can injure those muscles because they are doing work that your other muscles should be doing.

Running is primarily a workout that uses your lower muscles like your legs, glutes, and hamstrings; but it is important to have a strong upper body as well to help you maintain good posture when you run. This will ensure that you don’t injure your lower back and that your upper body can also help you run faster as you swing your arms to help move your legs faster. Running is more of a muscular endurance than muscular strength, so that is why it is important to include strength training into your routine.

I have been doing the Beach Body exercise videos for a year and I have been very happy with the mixture of strength training with my running. It also helps break up the week for me and I don’t feel guilty if I am not doing something on a day that I am not running.

Stretching/Yoga

Antonio says,

a lack of flexibility is the most common cause for injuries. Tight calves, hip flexors, IT bands (side of thigh), quadriceps, lats (back) and adductors (groin) all will put the runner at risk. These muscles are usually tight for people who have desk jobs or sit a lot.

I know this is the case for me because I sit often for work, I sit in my car to drive to and from work and when I am at home I try not to sit as much and get more motion and standing in for the day to make up for all the sitting I did. I was doing yoga for a while and I found that every helpful. I loved it for the meditation aspect just as much as I knew I was helping my body become more flexible.

Lack of flexibility affects speed

Antonio also states that a lack of flexibility may also alter proper running mechanics. When this happens it will cause them to slow down because your muscles aren’t working with the efficiency needed for speed. A lack of flexibility will cause certain muscles to work harder than others.

Strength Training

To help your body with the pounding on the pavement, Antonio recommends doing strength training two or three days a week. Over time, your muscles won’t tire as quickly. You’ll be able to run further, faster and for longer durations.

Specific Stretches from Antonio Williams

Antonio has listed the following exercises as important to your fitness and training routine to help keep you limber:

Calf stretch

Put both hands against a wall with arms extended. Lean with one leg bent forward and the other leg extended back. Keep your knee straight and foot positioned forward. Push rear heel to floor (toe pointed straight ahead) and move hips slightly forward. Hold stretch. Repeat with opposite leg.

Back stretch

Kneel in front of a chair or stable surface. Place one hand on the surface and slowly lower chest toward the ground. Feel the stretch in your upper shoulder area around your armpit. Do not arch your lower back, and tighten your core as you lower your chest. Repeat on opposite side.

Quad stretch

Kneel with one knee on a padded mat and your other foot positioned forward. Place back foot onto a stable surface like a bench. Slowly drive hip forward and squeeze glute on the same side as the quad being stretched. Hold stretch. Repeat with opposite side.

Groin stretch

Stand next to a stable, knee-high surface. Place your foot on the surface and slowly reach your hand toward your feet. Feel the stretch in the groin area of your leg on the surface. Keep both toes straight ahead, as feet may have a tendency to point outward. Do not shift hips toward leg on the surface. Repeat on opposite leg.

I hope these fitness tips will help you as you are getting closer to the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. But you can also use this tips for all races you are doing. If you are training for the runDisney Dopey Challenge, Goofy Challenge, full marathon, half marathon, 10K, or 5K in January of 2018 these tips will also be get to know as you prepare for these much longer distances.

Tips For A Successful Running Program

August 7, 2017

When I started running 6 years ago, I did so many things wrong. This weekend I was at the location of my very first race, the Potato and Corn Festival 5K course. It is a cross country course that winds along the outer area of a hay field in North Branford. My dad likes to tell people that the little 5K race in North Branford created a marathon runner!

At the time I didn’t know I would become a marathon runner, but I did get bit by the running bug and signed up for just about every race I could find within my area for those upcoming months. There were some challenges I faced as a new runner though. I did all the wrong things new runners should do. I started too much too soon, ended up with very painful shin splints and ended up taking some time off from running to heal.

Here are some tips for a successful running program for beginners

Antonio Williams, M.S., NASM, P.E.S, Health Engagement Consultant, a #CignaHealthCoach, shares three tips to help you make your running program successful. Try adding strength training, flexibility training and speed training to your program to decrease your time, help prevent injuries and train your muscles to reach the finish line. He shares the importance of cross training and how that helps your muscles endure the stress from running.

He also shares the importance of flexibility and speed training. If you want to be a faster runner you have to run faster. Sounds silly; but it’s a fact. You have to train your body to know what that feels like.

Mistakes I made

You have to start off slow and build up when running. I ran all out all the time when I first started. I wanted to get faster, fast.
Don’t run every single day. I couldn’t get enough of it. I was addicted to the feeling running gave me. But it’s important to mix in cross training.
Follow a program. I didn’t know about Jeff Galloway’s training until six months after I began running. I found him through a podcast. His run/walk/run method is what led me to finish eight marathons.

Hopefully these tips will help motivate you to begin running or to change up your training to avoid injury and train smarter.

Do You Cross-Train To Help Your Running?

August 5, 2017

Do you cross train to help your running? I didn’t used to once I first started running. But for the past year I have incorporated it into my weekly workouts and have found it to help me stay injury free and stronger.

Briane Agostinelli, BS, CEP, CWP, CPPC – Health Advocate, Consumer Health Engagement,
ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist I NWI Certified Wellness Practitioner from Cigna explains the benefits of cross training.

Six benefits of cross-training

Improved skills, agility, speed and balance

Increased strength and flexibility

Greater aerobic fitness by including nonimpact aerobic exercise in your routine to develop other muscles without increasing your risk for injury

Injury prevention

Runner’s injuries are frequently caused by instability or inadequate strength. With strength training and stretching, these injuries may be greatly reduced.

Variety and flexibility to your routine

Reducing boredom, burnout, and if there is a change in plans you and your workout can adjust

The types of cross training I do

Last year I started using the Beach Body exercise programs. I fell in love with doing video exercises in my cool basement in 30 minute segments. They were intense, they were very targeted to the type of body part I wanted to focus on and they kept me from becoming bored! I wanted to do multiple workouts in a day; but knew I had to be careful not to burn myself out. But I still do them, a year later and I enjoy them just as much as day one. I like them because they help me with my glutes and hamstrings which are areas that tend to get weak on me and then become more prone to injury. I also like that I am working out my upper body because that helps me hold a better posture for running.

Cross training is also helpful in strengthening your muscles which will also make you run faster. Who doesn’t want that?! With less than a month to go for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend you can still incorporate some cross training to your routine. Especially during the taper period. This way you will still feel like you are doing something for yourself as you may be putting in less miles.

Do you cross train? What is your favorite program to use?

Big News from Marvel Studios!

August 2, 2017

ANT-MAN and THE WASP are now in production!

MARVEL STUDIOS BEGINS PRODUCTION ON “ANT-MAN AND THE WASP”

Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña and Michael Douglas return for the highly anticipated “Ant-Man” sequel

BURBANK, CALIF. (August 1, 2017)—Marvel Studios announced today that production has begun on “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” starring Paul Rudd (“Captain America: Civil War,” “The Fundamentals of Caring”), Evangeline Lilly (“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “Lost”), Michael Peña (“The Martian,” “Fury”) and Academy Award® winner Michael Douglas (“Behind the Candelabra,” “Wall Street”), who all return to the roles they originated in the 2015 box office hit “Ant-Man.” Bobby Cannavale (“Vinyl,” “Chef”), Judy Greer (“War for the Planet of the Apes,” “Wilson”), Abby Ryder Fortson (“Togetherness,” “Transparent”), Tip “T.I.” Harris (“Sleepless,” “Get Hard”) and David Dastmalchian (“Twin Peaks,” “The Belko Experiment”) also reprise their supporting roles.

The highly-anticipated follow-up welcomes Academy Award® nominees Michelle Pfeiffer (“The Wizard of Lies,” upcoming “Murder on the Orient Express”) and Laurence Fishburne (“John Wick: Chapter 2,” “The Matrix”), along with Hannah John-Kamen (“Black Mirror,” “Ready Player One”), Walton Goggins (“Vice Principals,” “Six”) and Randall Park (“Veep,” “Fresh Off the Boat”) to the ensemble cast.

“Ant-Man” director Peyton Reed (“Yes Man,” “The Break-Up”) returns to helm Marvel Studios’ action-adventure from a screenplay by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari, and Paul Rudd. The film, which opens in U.S. theaters on July 6, 2018, will be filmed in Atlanta and San Francisco.

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink: “Ant-Man and The Wasp.” In the aftermath of “Captain America: Civil War,” Scott Lang (Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

Marvel Studios’’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp” is produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Charles Newirth and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

The director’s creative brain trust includes Academy Award®-nominated director of photography Dante Spinotti (“L.A. Confidential”), production designer Shepherd Frankel (“Ant-Man”), costume designer Louise Frogley (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”), visuals effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti (“Doctor Strange”) and seven-time Academy Award® nominee, special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Captain America: Civil War”).

Marvel Studios continued its unprecedented success with the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” on May 5, which topped the opening weekend box office with a domestic take of over $146 million and has gone on to garner over $860 million at the worldwide box office to date.

On July 7, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” opened at #1 with an opening weekend box office of $117 million and has earned a worldwide box office of over $633 million to date.

In 2016, Marvel Studios released “Captain America: Civil War,” which opened on May 6 with the fifth largest opening weekend of all time and has since garnered box office receipts of over $1.15 billion worldwide.

The juggernaut studio ended last year with its newest Super Hero “Doctor Strange,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams. The film opened #1 at the box office on November 4 and went on to gross more than $677 million worldwide to date. The two films propelled Marvel Studios’ #1 domestic box-office opening streak to a record-breaking 14 consecutive films.

Marvel Studios’ other epic big-screen adventures include “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man” and the upcoming “Thor: Ragnarok” (November 3, 2017), “Black Panther” (February 16, 2018) and “Avengers: Infinity War” (May 4, 2018).

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com. ©2017 MARVEL

A Spectacular Night At The Farm

August 2, 2017

Monday was another beautiful night at the farm. As the family was taking care of the chickens I ran around the property to capture some of its quiet treasures. Pictures say more than words. Enjoy the beauty I found on the land.