August 1, 2015 - Brooklyn Active Mama

20 Brutally Honest Confessions About Marathon Training

by Nellie August 21, 2015

20 Brutally Honest Confessions About Marathon Training

1) I can’t stop talking about it

I swore that I would not be one of those people that didn’t bring up marathon training every 6 minutes. I have LITERALLY BECOME THAT PERSON.

“hey Girl, how are you?” “Girl, this marathon training is kicking my butt.”

“Hey Nellie, can you pass me the salt?” “Yeah, omg, I lose SO MUCH SALT on my long runs”

Help.

2) It’s taken over my life

I plan every single thing around marathon training. Sleep, work, meals, conferences, birthday parties. ALL OF IT.

3) I can’t stop eating

All the things. Not that I’m using the extra miles to eat what I want but I find myself hungry at ALL the random times.

4) I just want to nap

No, really. Since I have To wake up at 4:30am to train, my body is in a constant state of tired. My long runs are usually followed by a day of activity with the kids so yeah.

5) I am unable to commit to anything without checking my training schedule.

“Oh, what time is the birthday party?” “2pm? yeah, I can make it, I should be done with my long run by then.”

Training for a marathon can be brutal, funny and downright inspiring. Check out 20 super honest confessions about marathon training.

6) every training week feels like 6 weeks in one

Now that the miles are rising to around 30 a week, I’m just always running. This used to be my monthly total.

7) I’ve got plenty of social media ammunition

ALL the runfies!

8) It sucks during but then when I take a look at my mileage…?

If you told me last year (WHEN I STARTED RUNNING) that I’d be running 30+ miles a week I would have cackled a long cackle.

9) every week I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to do it, then, I do it.

Every Sunday I look at my training plan like: NOPE.

nopebey

10) I’m jealous of my friends training for half marathons

oh so your long rung is 5 miles this week? I’m so SO jealous.

11) I want my weekends back!

I miss Saturday morning freedom.

12) I still have to be a mommy/wife/employee when the miles are over

My boys don’t get how exhausted I am to.my.core when I finish my long runs on the weekend. I am still expected to run and walk around like normal Mommy.

13) training dominates my thoughts like no other.

How can I get better? What is the weather like for my run tomorrow? Should I start planning my long run route? Constantly. Every day.

14) when someone asks me how marathon training is going I feel relieved because I have got a LOT to say.

See also #1. A special kind of news broadcast happens when someone asks me about it on purpose. If you ask….be prepared to stay a while.

Training for a marathon can be brutal, funny and downright inspiring. Check out 20 super honest confessions about marathon training.

15) Marathon training has become my ultimate excuse for pretty much everything.

Job lunch? Yes, please pass the food because: marathon training!!

16) I question why I committed to this, every damn day.

EVERY. DAY.

17) I live in my marathon groups on fb because they are the only ones that get it.

98.26% of the posts in my timeline are running related. If I haven’t liked my friends posts in a while, that is why. I kinda need to be submerged in daily training updates to know that I am not alone in this madness.

18) I’ve looked at upcoming weeks in my training plan and either a) considered switching plans or b) muttered this can’t be life over and over.

I have looked at literally a million training plans.

19) I’ve registered for pretty much a race every weekend because long runs have just become long torture.

Now that summer streets are over, I am actually responsible for finding somewhere to run 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20 miles on respective weeks. WHAT?! So I’ve registered for races. At some point I have 2 half marathons in a row in back to back weeks.

20) I really, really can’t wait until November 2nd. I’ll be sore, tired but I will be a marathoner.

I’ll do it. I will.

20 Brutally Honest Confessions About Marathon Training - About to start training for your first marathon, or thinking of tackling a marathon? Read this first, I'm keeping it all the way honest about what happened to me!

What is your biggest marathon training challenge right now?

For more marathon related posts check out:

5 Inspiring Moments From Des Linden Winning The 2018 Boston Marathon

TCS NYC Marathon 2016 Recap: Second Time Around

6 Amazing Half Marathon & Full Marathon Training Workouts

21 comments

eating clean family

6 Healthy Snack Ideas For Road Trips

by Nellie August 17, 2015

Hey guys!

Although the summer is almost over, I am happy to say that I have become way more comfortable traveling with my kids. In the past it was always a stressful situation which made me want to avoid travel altogether! Now that the boys are 3 and 6, things are a bit better and I have learned that the best way to having a great trip? Preparation!

Today I am happy to host Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition as she shares 6 Healthy Snack Ideas For Road Trips. I had the honor of meeting Sally at the Stonyfield event where she shared her tips for raising a picky eater. The event was so awesome and she was so great, I am so excited to have her expertise here today!

healthy snacks for road trips

Be Prepared. I’ve learned the hard way that fresh food is often at a premium on road trips—so bringing your own is important. Fill a small cooler with lots of fresh fruit, plus cheese sticks, and yogurt cups (I like organic for my family – Stonyfield Organic YoKids and YoBaby come in snack-size serving cups and even Squeezers for on-the-go. You can even toss frozen Squeezers in the cooler, and they’ll slowly defrost but still stay cold). Include some single-serving nut butters and whole grain crackers and you’ll have wholesome snacks and even in-a-pinch meals you can eat at a rest stop. If you’re traveling with a baby, don’t forget to bring some pre-cut finger foods like cubes of tofu, very ripe fruit, and bites of whole wheat pasta.

Start off on the right foot. Before I load the family into the car, I make sure we start the day with a filling breakfast that includes protein to keep hunger at bay till lunch (you’ll avoid any pleas for drive-thru donuts that way!). My kids really like yogurt parfaits, and I use fancy glasses to make it more fun. We start with Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and layer on homemade granola for crunch and fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries.

Make a game out of it. Make eating healthy snacks on the road a fun endeavor. Pack colorful snacks in advance like carrot sticks, blueberries, strawberries, green grapes, etc. For each vehicle or site you pass that matches the color of a snack, the “winner” gets a corresponding bite! It gets everyone involved and engaged with their surroundings—and young kids can work on their color recognition, too.

Let them dip. For the older kids, slide fruit pieces onto popsicle sticks or thread fruit onto skewers to make car-safe kebabs that they can dip into yogurt cups. Bonus: It also makes for easy cleanup since they avoid getting their hands too sticky!

Reuse! Once kids are done with their yogurt cups, rinse them out and fill them with trail mix or granola for the trip back. It’s a good lesson in recycling and keeps portions under control.

Be Safe. Be sure any perishable road trip food is packed safely in a cooler with ice or ice packs. Also, always monitor kids carefully whenever they’re eating in the car, in case of choking. And unless there’s an adult sitting next to baby to watch for choking, avoid letting baby eat while the car is in motion.

[Tweet “The amazing @RMNutrition shares 6 Healthy Snack Ideas for Road Trips! @Stonyfield”]

What are your favorite healthy snacks for kids? Any road trips planned?

7 comments

fitness gear Fitness Is Fun weightlifting

10 Strength Training Exercises for Strong Legs

by Nellie August 10, 2015

10 Strength Training Exercises for Strong Legs

Looking for strong toned legs? Here are some awesome strength training exercises for strong legs you can do on leg day or any day!

I am a fan of strong sculpted legs.

There are so many exercise that you can do for your body. However, when you are focused on getting strong legs you need to know the right workouts for amazing stems.

I’ve put together a list of the most effective leg day exercises for you, a lot you might know and a some you may not.

Since the quadriceps are one of the largest muscle groups of the body they tend to burn the most calories! There are so many ways to work your legs but these are my top 10 favorite leg exercises.

Some of these are advanced and some are beginner, You can choose to do one, or do all! Let me know which ones you try for the first time or which ones are long time favorites!

Check them out!