SMALL CHANGES

well, hello there. how are you? 

me?

 I am doing very well. Thanks for asking. It's been a while, hasn't it?

As you may have noticed, I have taken quite the hiatus from writing...as well as training...this past year. You can catch up a bit HERE as to why I have been MIA. It has been a tumultuous year and a half, filled with some extreme lows but some really amazing highs as well. I choose to focus on the good stuff and the growth that has come with change.

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I find that the dust has settled a bit with my new life and I am recharged and focused on new projects, goals and adventures. I miss writing and sharing my journey with all of you so much.


I have dusted off the laptop.

I have given the blog a make-over, and a new name.

And soon, a new URL as well.


So welcome back. Or welcome for the first time.

I am Jen Small and this is SMALL CHANGES. 

swim bike run laugh - a good life plan

I pondered the name change for a long time and I felt that since I have changed so much, this needed to change too. Not only did I grow and CHANGE as a person the last 18 months, but I also feel that message of SMALL CHANGES is consistent with my coaching and lifestyle.

Small Changes = Big Results

I will continue to share training tips and advice. I will share my crazy adventures. But I want to expand what I write about. I want to share more on how YOU can make healthy living work for YOU... workouts you can do at home or at the gym.  Simple, clean eating recipes. Working on that mindset, the mental training, if you will. I will share my triumphs. and struggles. and ideas. THOUGHTS.


So here we are, back at it.

Where am I?

Well, since I haven't been running much lately, I am back to rebuilding that base. Very much so.
...and it feels like starting over...

and it is a total metaphor for my life. Starting over. And it is a very good thing. I am finally very happy INSIDE.

Physically??

I have battled a few injuries this past year. A bicep tendon injury that kept me from swimming and some weight training,  a piraformis that has gone wonky and most recently, an old back injury has flared up, causing some thoracic spine nerve inflammation.

funny. I train like a crazy person for years with no injury. take time off? Here, let me give you THIS to deal with.

or maybe I am just getting old(er).

The change in training habits and being a little lazy with my diet has added some LBS to my frame. I am about 15 from my "happy weight", so I am also wanting to get back to a place where I feel strong and comfortable. I have never been one to focus so much on the scale, more so how I feel.

SO i wanna feel GOOD again. physically.

It feels kind of weird having to WORK at running again. Especially carrying around a bit more weight. Every extra pound also slows you down.

I went through this awkward phase where NO SHOE felt good on my feet, so I was just NOT RUNNING> my old standby's didn't cut it. I was getting blisters. My feet hurt. I was annoyed.

I gave HOKA's another whirl...nope. once again, huge blisters on my arches
(anyone else suffer from this??)

My typical Newton's just felt stiff. I am running much slower these days so not sure if THAT played a role.

The super awesome people at Newton didn't disappoint though...I got myself into a new model, the Pop 2 Fate...in both blue and pink (of course!).

 My back/neck is particularly stiff and painful today but I wanted to get out for a few miles to see how I felt. I was only able to handle about 2 miles, the movement of my arms was quite painful.
A quick trip to my awesome chiro Dr. Dave to get things tweaked.

I am putting together a half marathon plan in my downtime and looking forward to the Rock N Roll Half in VA BEACH in Sept.

and of course, I am part of the amazing Rev3Team again this year so I will be at as many races and I can this year...and looking forward to Aquabiking!!!

And Lola is bigger and better than ever. The one thing I will forever cherish about starting this blog, is getting to chronicle her early years and what a special child she has grown into.

Cheers to the journey ahead!

That Run? ROCKED

Today was my run day and I woke to cold temps and an arctic blast of air that left the earth covered in a lacy pattern of frost overnight. I had contemplated getting out super early (like dark o'thirty) with my headlamp and cold gear but opted to wait just a bit...and I am glad I did. I gained several degrees and some light. It was a beautiful morning, watching an orange sun rising to blue skies - then the winds picked up the clouds stated to make their way, turning the skies into a steel cold grey.

I love cold weather running...as long as I am in the right gear. Here is what today's essentials were:

My Rev3 Buff and a pair of fuzzy pink gloves:

i ditched the usual visor and opted for some extra coverage today (plus, it covers my ears!) as well as some gloves to not only keep my hands warm but to also wipe my nose as I tend to leak like a faucet on cold weather runs
----> does anyone else have this issue??What's your favorite solution.

After I posted on Instragram about using the gloves to wipe my nose, a friend tweeted me a link to these gloves

Zap Run Glove by SUGOI

"These gloves are wind resistant and warm, but it's the smallest details that make the biggest impact. The reflective design provides added safety during low light hours. Touchscreen compatibility makes it easy to use your phone. But my favorite aspect of the glove is that the thumb is made with a terry cloth material so you can comfortably wipe your nose on cold runs. Genius!" 
~Women's Running Magazine 

Then another friend messaged me on FB and told me her Craft gloves have the same feature; a soft "nose wiping surface". Now...I consider myself pretty UP and ON IT with all the swim/bike/run gear so WHY had I not heard of this amazing invention.
(yet another idea falls from my grasp...)

The other ESSENTIAL for any run is

TRISLIDE 
 )

I slick down the areas that are "HCR" {high chafe risk}like the "undercarriage" and where my heart rate strap sits... and in the years that I have been using this easy spray lubricant, I NEVER have issues. This is the ONLY thing I use, even for long bike rides....AHHHmazing stuff. 



UA Sports Bra "Still Gotta Have It"   

I've worn SO MANY sports bras over the years and this one by far is my favorite. Compression style, fantastic colors and styles (hello, they have a WONDER WOMAN one...) and it LASTS> with a good price tag to match ($25-30) 








BROOKS Glycerin 16 is what I am currently running in...I just got these direct from the fine folks at Brooks Running. I am liking these so far. Lightweight. Support. Bright colors. NO BLISTERS> I've done 3 runs so far and I am diggin' it...

NOW...for today's ROCKING PLAYLIST. I recently went to see Alice Cooper and Motley Crue so I have been on a 80's hair band kick lately (but let's be real, I am ALWAYS on an 80's kick...) Did I mention I also got to see VAN HALEN 2nd row this summer too?? Yeah, it's been a blast!!

Here's a few rare gems for you...me NOT in training gear or a visor, on our way to the show (with MY favorite rockstar!!)

 

I seriously adore this pic...

 Patiently waiting for the show to start, I had to snap the obligitory Motley Crue selfie.

 

Nikki Sixx killin it on stage

We also got to meet one of the opening bands, The Cringe. The front man is none other than John Cusimano, married to the queen of food tv, Rachel Ray. Here is a shot of me with the lead guitarist,
James Rotondi (who reminds me of Johnny Depp a bit).

so, here's a sample of some of the tunes that rocked my run today!




JUKEBOX HERO-Foreigner (1981)

 POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME- Def Leppard (1987)

 SCORPIONS- No One Like You (1982)

WHITESNAKE-In the Still of the Night (1987)

MOTLEY CRUE- Kickstart My Heart (1989)

Got Snow? My NEW Favorite Way to CROSSTRAIN

So living in Maine, it's no shocker that we get snow storms. Lots of them. Frequently. It actually makes me laugh when there is a Nor'Easter or Blizzard coming to town and everyone freaks out.
You do know you live in Maine right?
This isn't South Carolina!!

Anyway, it's been a pretty calm winter here thus far and we got hammered with our first significant storm of the year this week. Over 2 feet of snow, howling winds and some drifts that are quite big. Some spots, the snow is overhead.

A couple weeks ago I ventured out to try something new--SNOWSHOEING.
I picked up a pair of Atlas running/race snowshoes last winter and only used them a few times, short little jaunts around my "home field" only. So when the opportunity arose to really go get out, I took it.

the view of "Indian in the Mountain" from the frozen pond

My first foray into the wooded mountains was spectacular! It was a bright, sunny day and sky was bright blue. I was in awe of just how pretty the Western Maine mountains were from my new perspective (vs. a ski lift or slope). I had an experienced Guide and we traversed through trails, blasted through the 3 feet of fallen snow to make our own, crossed a frozen pond and even jumped over a small brook. I had a blast and I could NOT wait to do it again.
I am pretty sure I had a smile on my face the entire time.

I was excited to try this again...and SOON!

Sunday rolled around and I had 10 mile run scheduled. Another sunny day and I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the fun I had in the mountains. So I rallied my training partner to hit the trails instead of the roads. I figured a good 5 mile snowshoe trek would be great cross training & a good way for me to get lost in the woods.

I forgot to wear my GPS and track my distance on my first "real" time out but I wouldn't forget it this time!

 We drove out to the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust and  hit up the trails I run in the summer. It all started out LOVELY...some running on the snowshoes, some trekking, some getting off the trails to make our own in the deep powder. The trails are very well marked and easy to follow. Once we got a few miles into the woods, the trails disappeared but there were some lone ski tracks to follow.

Now, I am open about being directionally challenged. And apparently I cannot add either.
What started out as a 5 mile adventure started to tick away the miles...and as I compared the map to what we had covered already, I was starting to see that we would be getting a bit more than 5 miles in...5 was 6, then 7, then 7.5...we finally got back to the trailhead a bit over 9 miles in.

The last couple miles were fatiguing for sure...especially considering we ran at the start for a bit...and we only brought 1 bottle of water with us.

That didn't matter. All I can say is, I got lost in the woods for 2.5 hours.
I pushed my body, which I always enjoy.
And it was a beautiful day. 
I was able to leave behind the stress of the week and simply enjoy the quiet of nature.
The beauty of the fallen snow.
The sun on my face. 

Chasing Bourbon

Hey ho! heading down south for a while to join some friends for The Bourbon Chase.

I haven't been to Kentucky in years and I am looking forward to this trip. I love running, I love relays but I don't drink...especially not Bourbon...but who doesn't love new adventures?

I will get to see some friends I haven't seen since Rev3 Knoxville

From the WEBSITE:

Over the river and through the woods...Sort of, but not really.

Begin your journey at Jim Beam and head east to Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World. In the quaint city of Bardstown, you pass through Heaven Hill, the largest family-owned distillery in the world. Next, you trek toward the historic and beautiful Maker's Mark distillery. Exiting the distillery, you head into the heart of central Kentucky, passing some of the state's most historic areas. First, the course takes you near Perryville Battlefield, where a significant Civil War battle took place. Next, you will head south to Stanford, the second oldest city in Kentucky. Then, the course turns for the north as it passes through the middle of the enchanting community of Danville where the state's first constitution was written. Finally, before heading back into distillery country, you run through Harrodsburg. Founded as Fort Harrod in 1774, it was the first permanent settlement west of the Alleghenies.

The unique Spanish Mission-style architecture announces that you have reached Four Roses distillery. From here, you come into Lawrenceburg, home of Wild Turkey. Crossing over the Tyrone Bridge, several hundred feet above the Kentucky River, you enter the official gateway to Horse Country. This section of the course, heading toward Woodford Reserve, is undoubtedly the most stunning because of its rolling bluegrass countryside and picturesque horse farms.

From there you head toward the charming community of Midway, home of one of the nation's leading colleges focusing on equine professions. As you wind your way out of Midway and down the delightful scenic back roads of the Bluegrass Region, the course works its way into downtown Lexington. By now, you can smell and hear the finish line celebration that awaits you and your friends at Triangle Park, near the Alltech Brewery & Distillery.

See you on the other side!!

Get Running!!

OHMAHGOSH! It's the MIDDLE of JULY already? Where has time gone?

I spent the last 3 weeks with my butt kicked thank you to a nasty case of bronchitis coupled with a sinus infection. This is what happens when I don't have Coach Sharpie telling me what to do on a daily basis. I don't do well with "take it easy" and in June, 2 other instructors were on vacation so I covered their classes, in addition to my own. Easy-peasy--no big deal. Lola got a little, which I then got. Felt fine, just a bothersome cough and then coupled with teaching 20+ classes a week for 2 weeks, doing my own workouts PLUS less sleep than normal all added up to me running myself into the ground. I know better so it's really my own fault (but let's blame Sharpie ha ha). As a Coach myself, I would be SO upset if any of my own athletes pulled this kind of stunt but...sometimes I think I am superhuman. I am not. Thus spent an entire week in bed on a cocktail of meds (I hate taking anything) including antibiotics, inhalers and other things to get me back into fighting shape.

It's been 4 week and while I am much better, I am still coughing and certainly not back to normal.
Makes me appreciate NORMAL so much more.

I did get out for a beautiful bike ride this weekend. The only bike time I have had since June has been teaching spin or my cycling classes and words cannot describe how much I missed the open road. My lung capacity is not great right now but my legs felt GOOOOOD. Riding is definitely my happy place.

Before I got sick, I was having fun with some virtual runs through Jost Running! I coach a variety of triathletes, runners and weight loss clients and Jost Running gives me a great way to implement some fun training for a good cause! Plus, who does not LOVE a training day that comes with a MEDAL??

I have been doing a race every month since May--

Maine Coast Marathon Training Day, ran into Sara around mile 24/25

July is the BEAT THE HEAT Series and I love that this month, it benefits GIRLS ON THE RUN!!

 So for July races, I am committed to running ALL of them. 5k, 10k, 13.1 and 26.2 miles!!
The beauty of this is you can do the distance anywhere at anytime--you can even split it up. Not ready to tackle a half marathon but you can do a 10k? Why not split it up?

I have committed to running every distance in July for many reasons, GOTR being a big one. After a very long process, I am happy to announce that Southern Maine will have a GIRLS ON THE RUN program from my local YMCA and I will be one of the coaches!!

So visit JostRunning.com, pick your race and let me know which one YOU will be joining!!

Maine Coast Marathon

In 2013, my friend-endurance veteran extraordinaire-Charles, brought back to life the Maine Coast Marathon, 26.2 miles of beautiful coastline that is my backyard and training grounds, after a 26 year hiatus. This race was founded in 1980 as the Nike Maine Coast Marathon and a course that qualified three individuals for the US Olympic Marathon Trials in 1983. 

The Re-Inaugural (is that a word? it is now...) MECM in 2013 was also the first marathon for one of my athletes, Marc. It was a cool day with rain and drizzle to start and then the day warmed and we finished with nice weather. I paced him for the last 15 miles or so last year and was up to run again this year. A perk of being friends with the RD. 

I had many friends and a few athletes running on Sunday and just like last year, I would help out early in the morning on the course and then I would run with my athlete(s) and cheer on others. The day was cool at the start but it would not stay that way. 

we had the first intersection with Officer Carney, same as last year! 

my friend and local running legend, Brian. He's amazing and a beautiful person

puppy kisses 

my friend and Dailymile buddy, Jim

After getting all the runners safely by Rt1, it was off to the next stop, mile 6 and a road crossing.
Lots of cheering and high fives here...the sun was starting to get warm.

Lots of friends out there and I had to laugh at some of the photo poses...

As soon as all the runners were through Mile 6, it was time for  ME to change and head out. Hubbs dropped me off at Mile 18 down the road from our home and I ran out to mile 15 where I would run with several friends and one of my athletes for a bit, back and forth. I got in several miles this way and then finally met up with Marc. 

 I ran with my friend, Mary for a few miles and she was holding up really well and armed with a very positive attitude!


The heat index was increasing and I could see that the warm temps were taking their toll on some of the runners.

The number 19 is my favorite number and it was my favorite mile of the run.

That's where friends, Tim and Jessica's kids were out with the best cheers of the day!
Loved the sign too!

 Then it was Mile 20...

 Then we hit some pretty amazing views by my favorite beach...with only about 5k to go to the finish line.
This is when the wheels started to come off for Marc. He was only 6 weeks out from shoulder surgery and was way undertrained for this marathon...but he is stubborn and he insisted on running.

 a quick mile 21 selfie....

 Once Marc hit the 24 mile point, his running was done. He was walking and just focusing on moving forward. I got the chance to meet Issac and run into the awesome SARA aka Middle Aged Runner

With about a quarter mile left, I ran to the finish line to watch Marc finish. I captured a pic of my favorite race photog, Rusty!! He always gets a good race shot of me :)

I was able to log about 17 miles on Sunday which was great considering my longest run has only been about 10*12 miles in MONTHS!!

Marc was able to run it in thru the chute and while his time was slower than we even predicted with the lack of training AND the surgery, he still finished.

While out on the course, I met an amazing woman, TERRI. This was marathon 126 for her.

She went on to run another the next day (on Monday) and another on Tuesday.
Amazing.

She is also racing Kona this year! 

I also got to meet an incredibly lovely family, the Rios' clan. The son, Billy was running and Dad, Raphael, just ran Boston last month. Raphael qualified for Boston on the Maine Coast course the year before. They were such a special group of folks and I just loved their energy. Billy is another weight loss success story so make sure to look for his feature story soon on Transformation Tuesday!

The Lovely Rios Family in front of President Bush's estate on the Maine Coast Marathon course

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So now with this season being such a strange one for me trying to balance work, family, training and more work...I was bitten by the marathon bug again...bad, and will definitely be doing lots of running this year. Trying to figure out which FALL marathon I will add to my schedule but today I did go and register for the JOST RUNNING VIRTURAL MARATHON to get me going! 

Are you familiar with JOST RUNNING? If not, check it out. 
I will be sharing lots more about JOST RUNNING and
what they offer in terms of running to help great causes.
I love their mission and message!

I am registered for the BEAT THE HEAT MARATHON to benefit GOTR. 

BEAT THE HEAT MARATHON

JULY 27 - AUGUST 02

Before we were runners, the thought of waking up before the sun to get in a run seemed crazy. Now little motivates us to get out of bed more that those early summer morning hours where the sun is only preheating our day, not fully baking it. This month we want you to stay safe, hydrated, and get out there and "Beat The Heat" by showing that sun who's boss. So hurry up and get in those miles before the soles on your shoes start to melt. July's races benefit : Girls On The Run

Are you planning a marathon or half marathon this year?

What's your favorite kind of run workout?

What's your favorite RUN TUNE this week?