training - The Fairest Run Of All

Uh, I Forgot How To Run On A Treadmill

June 22, 2022June 22, 20222 Comments

The last time I had used a treadmill? Oh, early March 2020. And gee, can you think why? OH, ONCE I LOVED A TREADMILL There was a time in my life when the treadmill was nearly the ONLY way I ran. Hills? Terrain? Weather? I didn’t know them. All I knew was the inside of a gym and the consistency of the treadmill. Those who claimed to hate the thing, that it made running so much harder, only served to render me befuddled. WHY? You could put on TV, plunk a water bottle down in the cupholder, and begin....

So Do Compression Socks Do Anything Or What?

May 10, 2022May 10, 2022Leave a comment

I’ve used compression socks before. A couple years ago I won a pair, and then got another as a Christmas present. I was pretty excited about it – after all, compression socks (and calf sleeves) are supposed to improve your running by – hold on, let me check the marketing copy… Ah, yes, there it is: increased vascular efficiency (so, better blood flow) and faster recovery. I’m not here to debate the accuracy of these statements on a macrocosmic scale; my concerns are microcosmic. But before we get into that: if you’re not familiar with this particular piece of...

Bringing My Race To Its Knees

March 23, 2022March 23, 2022Leave a comment

After my (kinda, sorta, really yes but also no) triumph at the Run Oak Island Half Marathon, I vowed that I would make my next half my sub-2. I’ve got one coming up in a week or so. It was gonna be my race. Now? I’m not so sure. Okay, to be fair, I was never really sure. I can’t be the only one who’s gone into a race expecting one outcome and experiencing another. In both directions, even – sometimes you pounce and sometimes you get trounced, you know? Mind you, trouncing seems to happen to me more...

How To Fall When Running (Here, Let Me Demonstrate)

February 11, 2022February 11, 20222 Comments

Whelp, it finally happened: I took a fall on the boardwalk. HOW I FELL WHILE RUNNING The boardwalk in question lines a portion of my route through Piñones, part of my usual long-run route. It is not well-maintained as far as missing boards and uneven bits of wood go, but I’ve been running on it for a good two years now, I generally pay close attention to my feet anyway, and my track record up until now has been pristine. In my defense, my poor attention span my not have been wholly to blame. To be honest, I’m still...

Divide, Run & Conquer: Adding Two-A-Days To My Training Plan

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021Leave a comment

I’m a lot of things, but I’m not more things. One of the many things I am not is a running coach. I do not run professionally in any capacity. But I’ve had a bit of success with this method, so I figured, why not share? Obviously if try them and suffer up to and including an accident we never talked, though, okay? You’ve most likely read about elite athletes performing two-a-days as part of their training plan. It’s exactly what it sounds like: two workouts in one day. What those workouts consists of varies from athlete to athlete,...

In Which Jenn Shares Her Long Run Disney Parks Playlist

March 8, 2021June 13, 2022Leave a comment

Pray for me now and in the hour of my 17 mile training run. I will appreciate those prayers when the time comes (tomorrow), but as they say: the Lord helps those who help themselves. In addition to prayers, I shall try to make my long run as painless minimally painful as possible with the help of such items as KT Tape, mocha Clif Shots, a spare water bottle, and, of course, music. (Amazon links are affiliate!) I will start out with my usuals from Amazon Music (Aerosmith!) or my own personal iTunes stash (J. Roddy/Floggy Molly/Jukebox the Ghost),...

In Which Jenn Has Forgotten How To Run In The Cold

January 6, 2021August 16, 2021Leave a comment

Hello and welcome to The Fairest Run Of All, 2021 edition! Shall we start out the new year with a little light complaining? Let’s! Because boy howdy, kids, as a denizen of the warm and humid land of Puerto Rico for almost two years now, I have all but forgotten how to run in the cold. I ran a series of 5Ks over the last couple weeks while in Maryland’s wintry throes, and while I knew intellectually it was going to be chilly I was not prepared. Literally. I wasn’t prepared. I almost was – I packed gloves for...

In Which Jenn PRs In The 10K Thanks To Southwest Airlines

September 16, 2020August 16, 2021Leave a comment

Okay, I know we JUST did a post about a training run of mine and I generally try to mix it up, but I had the BEST run on Sunday – all thanks to Southwest Airlines. Naturally I simply must tell you about it. So here’s what happened: I was going to get up at 8am and run that week’s Rock ‘n Roll virtual 10k. However, a notification popped up on my phone as I was setting my alarm: I needed to check in for my flight home to Puerto Rico at 8:55am on the dot. (For those not familiar...

In Which Jenn Runs In OBX

September 7, 2020August 16, 20211 Comment

Hello from OBX! (That’s the Outer Banks to you purists.) Yesterday morning I completed my first long run outside of Puerto Rico in literal months and my God, did you know that in North Carolina it gets almost CHILLY at NIGHT? And that there’s a BREEZE and the HUMIDITY isn’t 8,000 PERCENT??? What a delight! I like to think all my hot weather training is going to convert into faster times in cooler climes, but it’s nice to turn down the heat a bit now and again. The only downside to pointing due north is that the sunrise is...

The Fairest Week In Review: 4/20

April 21, 2019August 18, 2021Leave a comment

Hola y salutations! Hello! Happy 4/20 if you celebrate! Okay, first things first: if you are a pale person in Puerto Rico, you need to wear MORE sunscreen. I didn’t say you need to wear some sunscreen, I said you need to wear MORE sunscreen. MORE. You can’t even trust the umbrellas with the margaritas under them. MORE. SUNSCREEN. ¿Entiendas? Next thing: I am cranky because I only brought one pair of running shoes, which was wise because we were way over the maximum weight for a lot of our luggage as it was. But I am feeling annoyed that...