The Connection Runners

Mother's Day 5k

So this Mother's Day the entire 12 marathons 12 months family headed up to Portland to run in the Mother's Day 5k - and we all had a blast!

We ran the Father's Day 5k last year, and have decided to make these races a family tradition. Mrs. 12 marathons set a 5k personal best on Sunday, and will look to top that time at the Father's Day 5k - while lil' 12 marathons once again insisted on running the 5k - his fourth official road race! He did the kids' fun run as well, but wanted to do the whole enchilada so I trotted alongside him. After running a 11:10 first mile, he began taking walking breaks and we finished up in 41:10. He smiled the whole way!

The running bug is also catching on, my brother-in-law's wife ran completed her first 5k, and their two boys motored along in the kids fun run - so great to see everyone involved and committed to getting fit and living a healthy lifestyle.

On the marathon front, Vermont City is less than three weeks away and I am really looking forward to this one. Yes, I say that about all of my upcoming races, but I feel poised for a good race and can't wait to tackle marathon #8. I knocked out a good 12 mile run yesterday to the York Golf & Tennis Club and back in 1:39, a comfortable 8:20 pace.

I think running the Flying Pig at the pace that I did was a good thing, as it equated to a really long training run and my recovery was minimal. I feel fresh at the moment, perhaps the best I've felt since the fall, which I hope will translate into a good performance on the 29th.

Some other random musings... ..

-I am frequently asked, do I run with an iPod? Yes, most of the time. Sometimes I just enjoy running without one, but I usually use one on raceday. Here's a small (20 song) sample of what my playlist looks like at the moment:

I'm starting my runs off with 'How You Like Me Now' by The Heavy (from The Fighter) Take a listen:

Lose Yourself - Eminem
Help I'm Alive - Metric
Move Along - The All-American Rejects
My Body - Young the Giant
Audience of One - Rise Against
Given to Fly - Pearl Jam
Seven Nation Army -The White Stripes
Hundred Mile High City - Ocean Colour Scene
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Last Nite - The Strokes
Morning Glory - Oasis
Take Me Out - Atomic Tom
Vox Populi - 30 Seconds to Mars
Ali in the Jungle - The Hours
Tick Tick Boom - The Hives
Super Bon Bon - Soul Coughing
Pardon Me - Incubus
Song 2 - Blur
Hemhorrage (In My Hands) - Fuel
Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder

So I've got '90's alternative, some Brit rock, but other days I listen to NFL Films music if I'm looking for raw speed, and others still I just want quiet and get lost in the run.

-P90X! Love it! I do it when I don't have Taekwondo, so probably do it 2-3 times a week. Not following the program to the letter, just to supplement my running, but I enjoy the workouts. My favorite so far is the Kenpo X, and I just tweak it a bit and use TKD techniques to keep my muscle memory consistent. That is a fast paced 60 min workout and I am soaked in sweat when I'm done. Core synergistics is another good one, too.

-Odwalla. Can't get enough of the stuff. I used to love the Fresh Samantha bottled juices, and maybe 3-4 years ago Odwalla bought the company which was based in Scarborough, ME. The Odwalla protein drinks are downright delicious, and I'm pleased that they have reduced the bottle size from 16 oz to 12 oz because after a run I would have a tough time stopping myself from drinking the whole thing, which used to be a whopping 440 calories. Now, the Vanilla Protein (which tastes like a vanilla ice cream shake) has 290 calories and 25g of protein, while the Original Super Protein (which is a combo of apples, bananas, and oranges with isolated soy protein) has the 290 cal and 15g protein. Love them both. I usually have one after a run of 13+ miles, as a run of that distance burns about 1,800 calories (which I do twice a week.)