Juggling Running & Coaching

This past weekend was an exercise in fitting it all in. I absolutely love coaching. It brings so much joy and meaning to my life. It also brings challenge to my life - the time that I worked so hard to carve out for running & training is now primarily dedicated to coaching. There is some running involved in coaching, but it isn't far enough or at the right intensity to completely account for my training for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. So I'm having to be a little more creative to squeeze it all in!

Planning is Key

Planning ahead is critical for me. For Saturday, I was looking at 5-6 miles and I knew that I could only get in 3-4 during coaching. I can spend part of my coaching time running on the trail and checking on my people. And I spend the rest of my time at the coolers to see how their runs went and answering questions.

Most weeks I will just move my long run to Sunday, but we were looking at dangerously cold temperatures for Sunday. So cold that all of the local races were cancelled. So I planned to get up early on Saturday morning to run 2 miles on my treadmill before heading off to coach. I am not a morning person, so laying everything out the night before helps ensure I don't forget anything or waste precious time trying to find something.

All of Saturday's gear laid out

Treadmill clothes

Coaching clothes

Additional coaching gear

Run #1

I got up at 5:30(!), had a chocolate raspberry Roctane Gu, and hit the treadmill with a big bottle of water. I entertained myself by watching Covert Affairs and motivated myself by wearing my fun new pink Nike spring outfit (thank you PR Fairfax for talking me into it & PR Apparelista for selecting it) that is still a long way off from being worn outdoors.

my new outfit - think spring!

ready to hit the treadmill in my basement gym

Run #2

I had a quick shower, ate a Clif chocolate chip bar, and drank some coffee with dark chocolate almond milk. I generally aim for whole, unprocessed foods, but when I am time-crunched and training I am grateful for Clif and Honey Stinger products! I headed into PR, helped Sarah make the Gatorade, checked the roster and reviewed the runs on the training schedule with Meghan, and answered questions as people trickled in. Then we headed out to the trail and I got in 4 miles with Karen, Christina, and Kris.

Bringing the Valentine's Day spirit to our run!
photo courtesy Laurentina photography

Coach Meghan rocking the V-Day tutu
photo courtesy Laurentina photography

Coaching

After my run I stayed at the coolers until all of my Cherry Blossom runners were finished with their runs. It was really cold out there and I was grateful that one of the runners gave me her hot hands when she was finished with them and that Coach Mike had a blanket I could borrow. People had great runs that morning and felt proud about toughing it out and running in the cold. (Note: *cold* is relative. Toughing it out on Saturday when it felt like single digits temps is reasonable. Doing so on Sunday when it was closer to -20 in feel would have been risky and unsafe).

Scenes from the coolers, from upper left clockwise:

1. Pam, Laura, and Debbie post run

2. Matt telling me about his training

3. My running buddies Christina & Karen

4. Coach Mike stays warm in his sleeping bag

photos & collage courtesy Laurentina photography

Bonus Fun!

I fit in an additional fun activity before enjoying a family Valentine's dinner with Rick and Freddy. (Thank you, Rick, for the delicious meal!) I met Brooke, the mom of one of Freddy's favorite friends, for tea at Starbucks. I so rarely make the time to get to know other moms and it is always such a rewarding choice when I do so. It was an hour well spent that passed all too quickly. Brooke is an Arbonne representative, and she brought me some samples of skincare and nutrition products that I am looking forward to trying. Thank you Brooke for the presents and the company!

Goodies from Brooke:
I'm looking forward to trying the protein shakes especially