As I sat at my desk today working and printing out the 30 page manual for the Reach the Beach Relay, my thoughts drifted to November 4, 2012.

{Is it weird that I’m about to head to Boston to ride in van overnight and complete my longest mileage of running in a 24-hour period without sleep & all I can think about is NYCM?}

Obviously there’s a lot of preparation that goes into running a marathon. We won’t cover that here today. However, there are few strange things that I am doing to get my head in the game.

The unusual thing I’ve started doing? Wearing my hair the way I’ll wear it on marathon day during my long runs.

NYCM circa 2003 looking a little rough after 26.2

Told you it was weird.

No matter how unusual my quirks about getting ready for race day are they all add up to hopefully getting my head in the game.

171 days until NYCM 2012.

My all time favorite workouts for every season are the ones you can do anywhere with minimal equipment. Each time I share a workout with a client or with you I want it to be something simple you can do at home or in the park.

I also want to make sure the exercises I give are effective, challenging and easy to follow. While you may be shaking your head in disbelief that water bottles can’t be heavy enough to use as weights, I dare you to try this workout.

If you try this workout and like it let me know then share it with a friend!

{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.}

Like any new hobby, I soon grew tired of taking class after class. Once again I was searching for the workout class I wanted to stick with for the long haul. After falling in love with Physique 57 a year ago, I decided this was going to be the perfect workout to compliment my running goals.

Then injury struck and I limited myself to workouts that wouldn’t cause pain. Last night I took my first Physique 57 class in over a year where I didn’t have to worry about injuries.

While I don’t normally have to worry about needing any sort of extra challenges in this class, wearing the new Blake Brody Physique 57 limited edition footwear takes this class to a new level.

These lightly padded, slip-less shoes prevent feet from sliding on the carpet, which means focusing more on the exercises and less on trying to keep feet grounded.

I’ll admit, I like the breaks slipping in grippy socks allows (thigh work in barre classes kills me each and every time!). I know that after I get back into a routine at the studio I’d rather not worry about sliding out of place.

If you’re looking to take your barre classes up a notch or you’re tired of spending money on grippy socks every time yours are dirty, I recommend trying out the Blake Brody In-Studio Footwear.

{I was not compensated for this post. I was sent a a pair of the above mentioned shoes to review. All opinions expressed are my own.}

Here are the workouts I committed to last week and how I fared:

• Run 25 miles ran 24 miles (total for the week)
• one 10-mile run DONE! (plus an extra mile)
• one speed session with 6×800 meter repeats  totally bombed on this one
• one 4-mile race skipped so I could do a long run
• one easy run DONE!
• Plank a day every day DONE!
• PT exercises every day DONE!
• one yoga class Didn’t happen
• one spin class DONE!

Not a stellar week by any means. However, it’s new week so onward we go!

Trying out a Tubura class earlier in the week. I'm still uncoordinated! Photo by Steven Meyer

This week I’m focusing on getting out the door earlier for my workouts and drinking fewer adult beverages. I’m also heading to Boston later in the week to run my first relay race. I can’t wait!

The race is a pretty big challenge for me as my three legs add up to just over 18 miles. I haven’t ran 18 miles in a single 24-hour period in years. Wish me luck!

This week, my SIDI workouts are schedule by the day of the week. I think if I don’t plan out my days I’ll end up with a week like this past one.

• Monday: Run 4 miles & Physique 57 class with Jill
• Tuesday: Run 3 miles + PT Exercises
• Wednesday: Spin + PT Exercises
• Thursday: Off
• Friday/Saturday: Run 18.5 miles (YIKES!!)
• Sunday: Off (PT Exercises)

In addition I’ll still do the plank a day every day! It’s really growing on me.

How did your workouts go last week? Anything fun to report?

What workouts are you committing to this week?

For example: Michele aka, NYC Running Mama, ran 26.2 miles over the course of three days and she’s 20-weeks pregnant!

For some reason channeling other runners isn’t doing much for my slump. Oh well, this too shall pass. Until then here’s some randomness for you on this beautiful Friday.

Hey Runner Girl is hilarious and awesome!

 Kinesio tape somehow makes me feel like I’ve made it as a runner. I have no idea why, but I guess it’s like a Band-Aid for runners. (And no I don’t have any idea what it does by being anchored to my hamstring so maybe I should ask my physical therapist).

Any random thoughts or things you want to share today?

How do determine your time goals for a race?

What’s at the top of your running bucket list?

I’ll answer first and then I want to hear what you have to say.

This is year I’m focused on not setting specific time goals for most races. I believe I’ve said it before, but my goal for each race is to work hard and focus on the mental aspects of pushing when the going gets tough. Ultimately, I just want to see what I’m capable of at this point.

Running Bucket List:

• Run a relay race (which I’m doing next week)
• Complete the Empire State Building Run Up
• Boston Marathon
• Run a sub 6:00 mile

In the comment section, tell me your answers to these questions. I love hearing what your goals are and how you set them.

“Aim for passion.”

“You want to make it happen? Do what you say you’re going to do.”

“… until your ideal becomes real.”

So, maybe the pr was only by a few hundreds of a second, but it still counts!

The “big rule” I broke: Don’t try anything new on race day.

See that water bottle in my hand in the awkward photo above? I hadn’t ran with one prior to race day. It was also my first time drinking nuun during a run.

Running with the water bottle wasn’t risky. If I found I was hitting myself in the chest due to my flailing arm swing I could have just ditched it. Drinking nuun was a little risky, but luckily it didn’t cause any issues.

I ended up drinking almost the entire contents of the bottle and managed to run 13.1 miles with it attached to my hand.

As someone who doesn’t like running with stuff, I was surprised it didn’t drive me batty. While at times I couldn’t decide which hand to carry it in, I was so happy to have it with me.

Initially I chocked down the swigs of the lightly carbonated nuun, since I wasn’t use to drinking on the run. By the end of the bottle I’d gotten it down pat.

I’m not sure how I feel about drinking nuun on the run, but I loved the water bottle and will definitely be running with one again soon.

Before flying out to Nashville, I searched high and low for a 12 ounce bottle, but could only find larger bottles. At each store I kept hearing the same thing over and over again “If it’s hot enough to run with a water bottle then 12 ounces isn’t going to be any help. You should run with a larger bottle.” And they were right!

If you’re considering running with a handheld water bottle consider the following:

• Keep your arm swing as natural as possible.
• Find a bottle that fits well on your hand so that you don’t have to actually grip it for it to stay on your hand.
• Alternate the bottle between hands throughout the run.
• The weight of the bottle wasn’t noticeable to me since I was drinking from it beginning at mile 4.

 What “stuff” do you run with during races?

My “free play” week has come and gone. I have to say that as much as I loved running just to run and taking a several rest days this week, I really enjoy having a plan and a goal.

Highlight of the week: meeting Dara Torres

When I’m not working towards a specific goal I feel unfocused and loose a bit of my normal workout drive. Brain breaks and physical breaks are important, but this one needs to be short and sweet. That means I’m getting back at it this week.

My big picture training plan for the year looks something like this:

• Winter/Spring: Focus on kicking injuries to curb & building base mileage
• Late Spring/ Early Summer: Maintain base mileage and work on speed
• Summer/Fall: Train my heart out for the New York City Marathon
• Winter: Recover and regroup

Right now, SIDI means more to me than it ever has. I’m not good at sticking to a speed work schedule so I’m counting on you to help me stay accountable!

Here are the workouts I’m committing to this week:

• Run 25 miles

• one 10-mile run
• one speed session with 6×800 meter repeats
• one 4-mile race
• one easy run

• Plank a day every day
• PT exercises every day
• one yoga class
• one spin class

Due to injuries I haven’t been to a yoga class since last summer. I’ve missed it like mad. Now that I don’t have any big races on my schedule I’m willing to risk trying it out. Cross your fingers all goes well!

Which do you prefer: “free play” weeks or scheduled training weeks?

How did your workouts go last week and what do you have scheduled this week?